Walk With Me
by aloriahfrey
Summary: When Rick loses Lori and an opposing camp starts trouble, he is far from a healthy state of mind. But when the 21 year old Claire Williams joins the group unexpectedly, he slowly starts to realize he may have found a friend that can help him in more ways than one.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Season 3 spoilers ahead!

It's a short chapter, cause I was just getting a feel for it. Others will be longer.

This fic is going to be a bit AU. It takes place after they lose Lori and after Rick goes through his crazy talking to dead people on the phone phase. He's got his head together a little better now, although he fakes a lot of it. He is nowhere near as together as he pretends to be, but he toughs it out for the group.

Michonne didn't come to the prison, Glenn and Maggie were never kidnapped, and the drama with Woodbury is replaced with other drama. For the sake of timing and making sense, I had to write it that way.

If you're here for Rick romance, it's going to be a while. He just lost his wife and Claire is a lot younger than him. He's not going to feel more than lust for her for a while and he is going to fight even that.

I tried to keep the members as in character as possible. Daryl is a bit more…spunky, I guess…and Rick has still held onto a little of that cowboy charm he had at the beginning of the show, but I tried not to step to far out of character with anyone. I generally picture the character saying/doing the part in my mind and decide if it looks/sounds too weird or not. If it doesn't, it usually doesn't get cut.

Kay, that's all for now! Hope you enjoy it and please review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters or ideas from TWD. I just own Claire. :)

* * *

_No light, no light in your bright blue eyes_  
_I never knew daylight could be so violent_  
_A revelation in the light of day,_  
_You can't choose what stays and what fades away_

_And I'd do anything to make you stay_  
_No light, no light_  
_No light_  
_Tell me what you want me to say_

_Would you leave me,_  
_If I told you what I've done?_  
_And would you need me,_  
_If I told you what I've become?_  
_'cause it's so easy,_  
_To say it to a crowd_  
_But it's so hard, my love,_  
_To say it to you out loud_

-No Light, No Light by Florence and the Machine

CHAPTER ONE

Claire Williams tried to be thankful for as much as she could given the fact that the world was overrun with the walking dead. Right now it was for the sunrise over the Georgia fields she was making her way through. There was so little beauty left in the world, but there in Zebulon, Georgia the sky was painted with beautiful oranges and blues.

She was also thankful for a clear view of the sky after making it through the trees that had previously surrounded her. She didn't like being in the woods; it was dark and dangerous and all the strange little noises could make you paranoid.

There was something else though, something that had her wishing she could scream with joy. Of course, she contained her happiness so that she wouldn't attract walkers, but she still smiled widely as she made her way towards the prison across the field.

It had been much too long since she'd had a proper place to stay and now there was some hope for her. Hope for shelter, food, and maybe even people. She approached that last part with caution, knowing other humans could be even more dangerous than the walkers in this new world, but it would still be nice to see another living face.

She armed herself as she drew closer, readying her bow and arrow to be shot at a moment's notice. She wasn't going to let herself be caught off guard. If there was danger lurking, whether it was infected or not, she was going to be prepared.

She quickened her pace slightly, her eyes darting left and right as she finally reached the gate. Without letting go of her bow, she slid her backpack from her shoulder and opened it with her free hand, pulling the wire cutters from the front pouch.

"Need some help with that?"

The voice was low and gruff, the sound of it making her stomach lurch. She dropped the cutters and whipped around, raising her bow. She aimed it at the man who was about ten feet from her and examined him closely. He had sleek, dark brown hair that was pushed back from his forehead, eyes that were an unmistakable, sparkling blue even from a distance, a tall, thin, and muscular build, and a wary expression on his pointed face. He looked just as dirty and worn as her.

"You staying here?" she asked, refusing to lower her bow considering he was pointing a silenced pistol right at her.

"Me and my group, yes," he answered.

"All right, well I'm not here to hurt anyone," she assured him. "I just need some shelter, maybe a small bit to eat…I'm going to lower my bow, okay?"

The man eyed her suspiciously, but nodded. She gradually began to lower her bow until it hung at her side and she was pleased to see him lower his own weapon. Progress was being made and she was thankful. She wanted the first human she had encountered for two months to be someone who was at least willing to cooperate with her.

"Where'd you come from?" he questioned, starting to walk in her direction. He moved slowly, obviously not wanting to spook her.

"Dayton, Ohio. I've got family here in Zebulon. Thought maybe one of them might still be alive." She shrugged and leaned back against the gate. "My brother was big on the whole apocalypse thing. Had lots of survival plans."

"I see. That's a hell of a walk." He had made it to her now and he leaned down to pick up her wire cutters. He handed them to her and added, "We've got other entrances."

She took the tool from him and stuffed it back in her bag before she zipped it up. She threw it over her shoulder again and walked by his side as he made his way around the large gate.

"So, what's your name?" Claire asked, hoping he wouldn't mind the question. Some people found even that piece of information to private those days.

"Rick," he replied, looking down at her. "What's yours?"

"Claire."

"That's a fine name. Used to work with a girl named Claire." He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. She wondered what had happened to him to make those baby blues so sad.

"Thanks. Rick isn't too bad a name, either."

"Well, thank you. That's the first compliment I've had in a good, long while."

"Guess there isn't much time for the little things anymore," Claire mused as they reached the main entrance to the prison. There was another man waiting there for them, carrying a crossbow and looking even more rugged than Rick.

"This is Daryl," Rick told her as they were let in.

"Yea, but who's this?" Daryl questioned, eyeing her apprehensively.

"Claire. I found her on the other side of the gate trying to get in," Rick explained. "Figured she can't do much damage alone, so I thought I'd bring her in to meet the group."

"Well, ain't you a special little lady. Rick hardly lets anyone in." Daryl smirked at her and she returned the grin, admittedly charmed by his teasing. He was incredibly handsome.

"I'm just here for a place to crash overnight and refuel," she told him as the three of them headed inside. "Been without proper shelter for the past three weeks."

"Where you been sleepin'?"

"In trees, to be honest. It's the only place they can't get me while I'm out."

"Well, we'll have to run it by the rest of the group, but we might be able to give ya a cell for the night," Rick told her. "Can't guarantee anything though."

Claire could tell that his "group" was pretty tight nit. She admired them for that. She used to have such a group for herself, but it slowly drifted apart. People died and one even went insane. The last one to stay with her had been Jake, a fifteen year old from Michigan, and he'd been bitten on guard duty. She'd had to put him down before he even turned, because that's what he wanted.

She shivered as the memory crept into her mind and Rick shot her an inquisitive glance. He didn't ask any questions though and she was thankful. She didn't want to talk about it, just as she imagined he didn't want to discuss the ghosts lingering in his eyes.

When they finally reached C Block, Claire was somewhat stunned to see the people waiting for them. The group was larger than she'd imagined and…there was even a baby.

"Everyone, this is Claire," Rick announced, his voice immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Claire could tell they looked to him as a leader.

"She needs a place to stay and refuel for the night. She's been on her own for a while. I didn't want to offer her a place unless everyone agreed it was okay."

"Sure, if ya take that bow away and lock her up." Daryl spoke first and Claire couldn't blame him for his words. She didn't like the idea of it though.

"I don't think she needs locked up," a young blonde girl disagreed. "I mean, we should definitely take her bow, but…"

"But she can't be any older than you, Beth," Herschel added.

"That's a good question. How old are you?" Rick asked Claire.

"Twenty-one."

"She can stay in my bunk," Beth volunteered. "If it makes you feel better someone can stand guard."

Claire shot an appreciative smile at the girl and hoped that someone would back up that idea. She really didn't feel like being locked up when there were a bunch of strangers with weapons in the same block.

"I could do that," Rick volunteered. "After all, I am the one who brought her in."

"You better," Daryl insisted. "She's tiny, yea, but she could be tougher than she looks."

"Well, I like to think I am, but that doesn't mean I'm an axe murderer or anything," Claire joked.

"I dunno, looks like you got a little evil in them doe eyes." He winked at her and she couldn't help the light blush that rose on her cheeks. He was undeniably charming, but if she was being honest she was more attracted to Rick.

Not that she was at all interested in romance, especially with guys twice her age. That was the last thing she needed right now was to fall in love, and then have her heart ripped out when they died.

"Look, guys, I don't want to hurt anyone," she said truthfully. "I've just been on my own without shelter for a lot longer than I'd like. If you could just give me one night, I'd be so grateful."

Everyone was silent for a moment and she waited anxiously, biting her lip. Finally Rick spoke up, "All in favor of letting Claire stay for the night raise your hands."

She watched as hand after hand went up, Daryl and Beth's the first in the air. She smiled lightly once there was no longer a negative vote and said, "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means."

"Sure we do," Daryl replied, heading back out of the cell block. He flashed her a supportive smile as he passed her. "A few were on our own at some point."

Soon the group was separating, turning to their individual duties, and before she knew it Claire was alone with Rick. She turned to him and saw that he was staring blankly at the concrete floor, his hands on his hips in a thoughtful stance.

"What's on your mind?" she wondered, although she figured it was none of her business. She wouldn't blame him for blowing off her question.

"A lot of things," he sighed, coming out of his trance and meeting her eyes. "It's been a rough time the past couple days."

"I'm sorry." It was all she could really say, considering she had no idea what the last two days had been like for him. "I guess you could say mine were, too."

He nodded slowly and suddenly moved to the middle of the room. He rummaged through a bag, pulling a can of baked beans from it and tossing it to her. "It's not much, but it's better than nothin'."

Claire caught the can and smiled at him gratefully. "It sure is."

"All right, well…I guess I'm your babysitter for the rest of the night," he said teasingly. Once again the humor in his voice didn't show in his eyes.

"Yea…speaking of babysitting…can I ask who the baby belongs to?" Once again she understood if he didn't want to answer, but she couldn't help her curiosity. She didn't think she would ever see a baby again.

"She's mine," Rick answered shortly. "Why don't you go ahead and eat?"

She took his hint to change the subject and sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall as she popped that tab on the can of beans.

As she ate, Rick took her bow and her bag and locked it in one of the empty cells. She stared after it longingly, but she figured she wasn't in the place to argue. He was feeding her after all.

"You guys have a pretty big group," she observed between bites. "The group I used to be with was only four people."

"It used to be a lot bigger." He sat down across from her and added, "What happened to your people?"

"One left. Wanted to be on her own. She said we slowed her down. The next one just…kind of lost it. I guess you could say she was pretty sheltered from everything when we found her, but then things had to get real for her and she…she hung herself." Claire set down her food as she remembered finding the girl swinging from a tree just outside of camp. It was an image she would never forget, no matter how badly she wanted to.

"And the third?" Rick prompted.

And here they were, talking about the one thing she still didn't want to face. She'd been closest to Jake, having known him since Ohio, and he'd been the hardest to lose.

"His name was Jake," she sighed, looking down at the floor. "He was only fifteen. He got bit a couple months back and I had to put him down."

"I'm sorry. We've all lost people, too and I know it never gets easier."

She nodded in agreement, glancing back at him as a small, half-hearted smile formed on her lips.

"You know, I admire you, Rick. For stepping up and being the leader through all of this," Claire commended. "I hope you don't think I'm being too bold, but I can see that it takes its toll on you."

"Yea, well…someone has to keep these people safe." He got to his feet and turned away from her, but Claire didn't miss the pained look on his face. He began to walk away and as he did he called, "I've got rounds to make, so it looks like you're coming with me."

Claire hurried to her feet and trailed after him, somewhat shocked when he turned and tossed her one of his guns. "I'm trusting you not to shoot me. Make it through this and you might get your bow back."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** First thing I want to mention is my soundtrack for this story so far. The three songs I've been using most to inpsire me are:

Obviously No Light, No Light-Florence and the Machine, Big Jet Plane-Angus & Julia Stone, Seven Devils-Florence & The Machine, and Ho Hey-The Lumineers. Depends on the mood.

This is my first time writing a full on action scene, so if it sucks I'm sorry. I did some light action in my Resident Evil fic, but it's not like this. If you have any suggestions to liven it up, I am always open to constructive criticism.

Either way I hope you enjoy the chapter and want to stick around for more!

Also, I'm kinda playing up Daryl's more playful side in this, but there will never by soft, fluffy Daryl, so no worries there, lol. He's still a hard ass and totally sarcastic. And nothing is going to happen between him and Claire, they just joke a lot.

CHAPTER TWO

Rick made a point to keep Claire at his side as opposed to hiding her behind him like he would the others. She seemed trustworthy enough, but he wasn't stupid. People were capable of anything in this new world and with the resources they had at that prison he wouldn't put it past anyone to do something they wouldn't normally do.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye, noting her strong posture and alert eyes. She definitely looked like someone who'd been watching their own ass for a long time and that was a strength in his opinion. She could wield a gun like a professional and he didn't have to watch her at every second to keep her out of trouble.

He still watched her though, partially to make sure she didn't put a bullet in his brain and partially because it was hard to look away. He was a bit ashamed to admit that last part for many reasons. He didn't go for younger girls, especially ones _that_ young, but she was undeniably attractive. She had a tone and curvy figure, long auburn hair that was braided and tucked into the back of her form-fitting black t-shirt for safety, sharp and curious brown eyes, and a face that made her appear a few years older than she really was. Her jeans were ripped and dirty, but they hugged her curves and were tucked into the black hiking boots she wore.

"I can tell you've done this a lone for a long time," he told her as they stalked down the dim corridors of the prison.

"Is it that obvious?" she wondered, her eyes leaving the hall only for a second to glance at him before they were facing ahead of her again.

"You're so alert. It's almost like you've got eyes in the back of your head."

"Obviously I don't. Didn't catch you sneakin' up on me." She smirked at him as they walked out into the courtyard.

"Yea, well, I used to be a cop. It was my job to be stealthy."

"A cop, huh? I was just a psychology student working at the local grocery store," she sighed.

"Don't say 'just'. Sounds like you were on the right path. Besides, now you're one of the few survivors of the apocalypse. That's somethin'." He flashed her a kind smile and when she returned it he was a bit stunned. He hadn't seen much more than a smirk on her face until that moment, but now he saw that she had a smile that lit up her entire face.

"What?" Claire asked, eyeing him uncertainly. "Why are you looking at me like I just did something completely unexpected?"

Rick left his trail of thoughts behind and quickly looked away from Claire, shaking his head. "Dunno…just haven't seen someone smile like that in a while."

"Like what?"

"Like they mean it."

"You mean like you never do?"

He looked back at her, seeing the knowing way she was staring at him, and he nodded slowly. "I suppose. There's not a whole hell of a lot to smile about anymore."

"I don't know…you've got a daughter," Claire reminded him.

"And a son," he informed her. "Don't get me wrong, those two…they're my world. But sometimes it's hard to even smile for them, because it kills me the world they're growin' up in."

"At least they get to grow up."

Rick didn't say the words that entered his mind next. _For now._

"Yea. I guess you're right about that," he said instead, forcing a smile even though he knew she would see right through it.

He didn't want to be so cynical, and he tried his hardest not to be out loud, but it grew harder every day. After losing his wife, his mind had just sort of snapped and he couldn't seemed to piece it back together. It seemed like nothing was sacred anymore, not love or even children. Hell, Sophia hadn't made it, so how did he know Carl would? How did he know that helpless little baby would?

Of course he would do everything humanly possible to make sure they survived, but he wasn't God. His abilities were limited and it scared the hell out of him. Everyone looked to him to be the leader and to tell them what choice needed to be made next. He couldn't afford to fall apart like he had before, but it wasn't easy stopping himself.

Claire seemed to notice that he had a lot on his mind, because she was silent now and just focused on patrolling. He was thankful for that. She seemed to want to talk about things that he wasn't ready to discuss, even if he probably should let them off his chest. He couldn't shake the idea that it was his burden to bear and that he didn't need to lay it on anyone else.

It wasn't until they made it back to C Block that she spoke again and this time it was a question he felt perfectly comfortable answering.

"So, about my bow…think I can have it back now?" She smirked at him and raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Well, you didn't shoot me in the head…so, I guess you earned it." He gave a half-hearted grin and went to open the cell where he had locked her things. He removed her bag and her bow, tossing one to her, and then the other. She caught them and smiled at him gratefully.

"You won't regret it, I promise," she assured him.

"I better not. There's something you should know about me; I'm not afraid to kill anyone who puts my group in danger and I won't think twice about it."

Claire simply nodded and replied, "I know you won't."

* * *

Rick Grimes was an intriguing man and Claire found herself watching him curiously as she sat on her bunk. He was pacing outside of the cell she was in, looking like he'd rather be anywhere than there. She knew "babysitter" wasn't his ideal job and she had tried to convince him to have someone else watch her, but he kept insisting he was responsible for her since he let her in.

Still, he looked antsy as hell and he obviously had about a million different thoughts racing through his mind. It was making her feel anxious and she jumped up from her bed to join him.

"Rick!" she snapped, bringing him to a sudden halt.

He looked up at her, surprised by her tone, and asked, "What?"

"Seriously, go get someone else to take over. Now. You're starting to drive me crazy."

"But—"

"No buts! You've got way too much bothering you to be stuck in one place. Remember, psychology student here. I know what I'm talking about."

He seemed a bit taken aback by her stern words, surely not used to being the one ordered around.

"Once again, I suppose you're right. I feel like I'm going mad sitting in my own head like this."

"So take a break. Go kill some things." She grinned at him and was thankful to see him grin back.

"Sure thing. I'll get right on that." He chuckled and headed for the exit. "I'll go find Daryl. Stay put."

Stay put. Where was she going to go? She was safe here and she was surrounded by people. There was nowhere else she wanted to be. There wasn't much to be happy about those days, but finding survivors like them was one of the few things left.

And Claire was so curious about Rick. She figured it was the part of her that had desperately wanted to be a therapist, but she wanted to get inside his brain and find out what was eating him. Some bad things had obviously happened to him and they had left ghosts in those shining blue eyes that made her wonder. He seemed so broken, even as he pretended to have everything together. She wondered if anyone else noticed it or if it took a fresh pair of eyes to see it.

"Hey, stranger," Daryl greeted as he entered her cell. "I see ya got Rick to warm up to ya pretty quick."

His eyes roamed to the bow lying next to her on the cot.

"Don't worry, I won't try to shoot an arrow through your head," she chuckled. "I have a feeling you'd shoot me first."

"Yea, you're probably right 'bout that." He smirked and sat down on the floor, leaning back against the wall.

"So, how's it feel to be put on babysitting duty?"

"Feels like a nice break—something I don't think Rick knows what to do with."

"Tell me about it. He was pacing back and forth like a crazy person." Maybe he was a crazy person. Maybe whatever had happened to him had sent him over the edge. It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen it. "Hey…can I ask…is the mother of his children dead?"

"What makes ya think that?" he wondered.

"Well…whenever we talk about his kids he gets really weird and changes the subject or gets all quiet. Not to mention he seems like he's grieving."

"Yea…she's dead. Died two days ago giving birth to his baby girl."

Claire nodded and looked down at her hands where they were folded in her lap. "He said your group used to be bigger…how many people have you lost?"

"Too damn many," he replied simply, fiddling with one of his arrows. He twirled it in his fingers and met her eyes, a somber expression on his face. "So where you from, anyway? Here in Georgia?"

"No, I'm from Ohio. Been slowly making my way here for a long while."

"So you're a northern girl, huh? Kinda figured."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned. "You makin' fun of me?"

"Not at all, you just sound northern." He smiled and she returned it, deciding that she liked Daryl a lot. He was easy to get along with and even easier on the eyes.

"You know, I have to tell you, you've got a good looking group here," she admitted, laughing lightly. "It's almost kind of weird. Hardly any humans left on Earth and a huge chunk of them are freakishly good looking."

"You sayin' I'm cute?" he teased.

"Well I'd be lying if I tried to tell you no."

"Ain't that sweet. New girl's got a crush on me."

"Don't be so full of yourself," she countered, smirking at him. "I'm not into older guys."

"Even the good lookin' ones?" Daryl clarified playfully.

"Even them."

Their conversation was cut short as the sound of a straggled, low holler met their ears. Someone was yelling something, but Claire couldn't quite make it out.

"The hell was that?" Daryl wondered, getting to his feet and readying his crossbow. Claire was right behind him, preparing her own weapon.

"Sounds like trouble."

They heard the yell again and this time they realized it was Rick's voice. Claire listened closely as he shouted one more time and she finally understood what he was saying.

"DARYL!"

"Oh, shit…" Daryl grumbled.

Without a second thought, he and Claire took off in the direction of Rick's voice. They hurried down the halls until they came swinging around a corner to find Rick at the end of the hall. He was leaning around his corner, taking out walker after walker with his body rigid and slick with sweat.

Claire hurried forward after Daryl and they took the wall across from Rick, who tossed Claire a gun. There was a herd of the dead pushing past each other to get down the hall and she quickly began taking them out.

"How the fuck did this happen?" Daryl shouted over the ominous groans coming from the walkers.

"I don't know!" Rick shouted back, gesturing for them to back up. They followed his orders and began to retreat, moving swiftly backwards, their weapons still pointed ahead.

"Somebody knows! They couldn't get it on their own!"

"We'll figure that part out later," Rick insisted as they headed out into the courtyard where the couple that had been in C block earlier were keeping watch. "For now let's focus on staying alive."

"Guys, we got walkers!" Daryl called to the other members. The two of them instantly readied their weapons and the man hurried over to Rick.

"How? This whole side is secure."

"I don't know, Glenn. I was on my way out here and I ran into a horde of them," Rick explained, his words rushed and breathless. "I need you and Maggie to go around and warn the others while we draw them out here."

"We're on it," Maggie assured him.

"Let's do this," Claire sighed, turning to face the walkers that were stumbling out into the courtyard. "COME AND GET IT, BITERS!"

"YEA, C'MON FUCKERS! LUNCH IS WAITIN'!" Daryl shouted, putting bullets in two of their heads.

Claire watched as they made their way closer to them and as Glenn and Maggie swiftly slipped around the back of the herd. This wasn't the first time she'd had to do something like this, but it never got less terrifying. Seeing them come at her, eyes glossed over and staring blankly, deep and guttural moans emitting from their rotting mouths, teeth noshing with the urge to maul her…and all the while her mind kept telling her that these used to be people like her.

She didn't have much time to think on it though. She had to keep retreating and keep shooting. Her clip was empty soon enough though, and then it was time to toughen up and do what she had to do. She stuffed the empty gun into her waistband and pulled an arrow from her back.

"Rick, I need you to back me!" she demanded, flashing her weapon at him. He nodded and readied the hatchet that hung from his belt before rushing over to her. He pressed his back to hers and Daryl stood back to give them some cover fire.

"You ready?" he asked her hoarsely.

"Let's go."

They moved slowly forward, Rick leading, and headed into the small group of walkers that was left. The smell grew stronger as the monsters surrounded them, the sickening scent of rotted flesh and aged, coagulated blood. It made her stomach roll every time, but she bit her lip and tried to ignore it as she and Rick drove their weapons through head after head.

Their putrid flesh splattered over her as she ripped her arrow back out their heads, but she kept her mouth closed tightly and her eyes narrowed. The warm, wet feeling of it was something you never got used to, but all she really cared about was it not getting the infection into her bloodstream.

For a moment it seemed like it wasn't going to end. There was one after another trying to close in on her, but within a minute they were all put down. They were truly lifeless now, littering the ground, and she came to a stop with her heart racing wildly.

"Holy fuck," she panted, staring around her. "That never gets fun."

"Let's get inside and make sure that's the last of them," Rick suggested. "Not to mention we need to see how the hell they got in."

Claire nodded and her legs, which were now like jelly, slowly carried her after him. Daryl followed them, resting a hand on her shoulder and asking, "You okay? You look like you're gonna pass out."

"I'm good. That wasn't my first rodeo," she chuckled weakly. "It's really just the smell…and the feel of their skin…makes me sick to my stomach."

"You ain't gonna puke on us, are ya?"

"No, I won't. Let's just focus on the task at hand and I'll be fine."

They walked into the prison in silence, their eyes and ears alert and waiting for the slightest sign of more walkers, and Claire wondered exactly when she'd reach the point where she could be fine after killing a herd of the walking dead.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! Also, thanks to the silent readers who are sticking with it. ;)

I don't have much to say about this chapter, except that drama is about to ensue. Things are getting unsteady and it's going to be a bumpy ride for the group. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Please review if you have the time! You have no idea how motivational that is! Well, maybe you do…but either the way the point is the same! :P

CHAPTER THREE

"There we go," Rick sighed heavily as he finished patching the massive hole that had been ripped in the fence. Someone had come around the back of the prison and cut the chain links, but whoever had done it was long gone now.

"Someone knows you guys are here," Claire said, stuffing her tools back into her bag. "And I'm guessing they want to drive you out and take it for themselves."

Rick nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "Claire…did you run into any other groups on your way here?"

"Sort of. I mean, I saw another group, but they looked pretty shady, so I avoided them."

"Where was that?"

"A few miles north. Not too far."

He sighed again and took up his thoughtful stance that Claire was already growing used to. "It looks like we might need to go scope them out. If someone is trying to take over this prison I'm not just going to sit back and let it happen."

"I can lead you to them," she volunteered. "I know where their camp is if they haven't moved."

"Tomorrow we'll head out."

"I'm in, too," Daryl said as they headed back towards the prison. "If these guys are sick enough to set walkers on us you might need the support."

"All right," Rick agreed. "Let's go fill everyone in."

Claire followed behind them, once again noting the closeness of this group she had found. They were like one big family, willing to risk their lives for one another, and she found that to be incredible. For that level of dedication and care to exist in a world like this was beautiful to her.

The longer she hung around the less she wanted to leave and she hated that. She didn't expect them to just let her stay, not when they were all so tight nit, but she imagined it would be really nice to have some semblance of a family again.

Of course, she still had to find her brother. She strongly believed he was still alive. If anyone had been prepared for something like this, it had been him. He was probably still hiding out in his bunker, living off the food he had stocked up on. She had to go to him, make sure he was okay, and so even if they asked her to stay she couldn't.

They reached the rest of the group, which was safely gathered in C Block with a young boy, Glenn, and Maggie guarding the entrance.

"How did they get in?" Glenn asked as Rick, blatant concern in his eyes.

"Someone put a massive hole in the fence and let them in," Rick replied gruffly. "It looks like someone is trying to drive us out."

"Claire said she saw a pretty shady lookin' group a few miles north of here," Daryl added. "We're gonna go check 'em out tomorrow, see what's up with that."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Glenn protested. "No offense to the new girl, but how do we know this isn't a trap? What if they sent her in to lure us to them?"

"Glenn, she helped us kill a ton of those walkers," Rick countered. "Why would she do that if she was with them? She just ruined their whole plan."

"It could be for show, to get us to trust her."

"Mind if I get a say in this?" Claire asked, raising her hand.

"Go right ahead," Rick insisted.

"Even if I am trying to lure you to whoever did this, it's not going to work, because I can tell you're smarter than that. So can we just leave it at that?"

She met Glenn's stare confidently and waited as he thought on her words. It was a simple truth that he couldn't deny. This wasn't the kind of group you could fool.

"She has a point," Daryl decided. "Either way we're goin' and either way we're gonna play this out right."

"I'm with Daryl on this one." Rick looked at Glenn expectantly, waiting for his decision. Claire had a feeling that no one would disagree with these two, but someone could surprise her.

"Do what you've gotta do," Glenn decided, an expression of acceptance forming on his face. "But if either of you get hurt—"

"We'll be all right," Rick interrupted, probably trying to avoid tension. Claire knew Glenn was about to issue some kind of threat towards her, but it didn't faze her. She understood perfectly well.

"They'll both be coming back in one piece no matter what I have to do," Claire promised the group. She was the "one life can be sacrificed to save many" type of girl, even if that life was hers.

"They better," Maggie replied, shooting a stern look at all three of them. "You all better be safe."

"Aren't we always?" Daryl smiled at her as he walked past her, sitting at the table and setting to work on cleaning his arrows.

"That's not a bad idea," Claire decided, going to join him. She wanted to distract herself from the suspicious eyes that were focused on her. She didn't expect them to just welcome her with open arms, but it still made her feel strange being the odd one out in such a close group. Not to mention she still felt mildly queasy from what had taken place outside. That was one of her worst weaknesses against the walkers, but at least she didn't puke anymore. The first couple times she'd had to kill one of them she'd vomited.

"So, Daryl…I get the feeling you're the hunter in the group," she guessed, watching as he scrubbed the blood from his arrow. He was unbelievably good with his crossbow, like he'd been doing it for years. Claire was good with a gun, but she was nowhere near that great with her bow.

"That's me." He set to work on the next arrow and glanced up at her. "Been doin' it all my life just about."

"Well, maybe if all goes well tomorrow you could teach me some stuff on the way back?" She flashed a hopeful smile and added, "Just some basics. I can hunt okay, I've had to learn, but I'm still pretty rough."

"Yea, sure. If we make it outta there we can take the woods back. I gotta pick up some food anyway."

"Awesome, thanks."

Daryl just gave a nod and continued his scrubbing, so Claire decided to do the same. She focused on the task at hand and let her mind go blank for a while, something she didn't do nearly enough.

* * *

"Claire seems all right to me," Rick said quietly. He was in one of the cells, sitting on a cot next to Glenn. "I'm not saying I'm putting my full trust in her right away or that I'm welcoming her into the group, I just have a good feeling about her. If she does turn out to be trustworthy she could be an asset to us."

"She's also another mouth to feed. I'm not the only one who feels this way, Rick."

"I know you're not. Even _I_ feel that way, but she could fend for herself just fine. She's survived two months on her own." All he really wanted was for people to be open to the idea of a new member. It had its downsides, but there were benefits, too.

"Look, I get it, Rick…we did the same for you. I just want you to be cautious," Glenn replied reasonably. "I mean…we just added two new members and I'm still not sure I trust them."

"I am being cautious and I'm not making any decisions, but Glenn…we're a large percent of what's left of the human population. To just throw her out on her own…that would be…" He trailed off, not sure what word he wanted to use. It just seemed wrong to him in so many ways.

"Irresponsible? Cruel? Yea, I know. Look, let's just see how tomorrow goes, and then maybe we can talk about her staying another night."

Rick nodded and agreed, "Yea…I'll talk to the others tomorrow."

He got up, his mind wandering as he made his way out of the cell. This new threat to the prison was going to keep him awake all night. He couldn't stand to lose anyone else, not after losing Lori. It would tear him apart.

Hell, his mind still wasn't right after Lori's death. He still swore he could hear her voice in his ear even when he knew she wasn't there and sometimes at night he thought he felt her arm wrapped around him. It had been a long time since they slept like that, but he missed it now. He missed it so much it hurt and he hated himself for pushing her away during her last few months.

And now the other people he loved were at risk, too. He didn't know what he was going to do about that just yet, but he knew he would find a way to keep them all safe, even Claire. He didn't know her, but she had stepped up today for him and his people. She could have bailed and let them handle it, but instead she risked her life to help. He respected her for that.

So now he had another life to add to the list of ones he felt responsible for. The idea was painfully daunting and in that moment he really missed the days when he thought being a cop was a hard job. Not that it wasn't, but compared to this it was a walk in the park. Eating lunch with Shane every day, joking around with him, and then going home to his wife and son. Sure, he and Lori had problems, but…

He stopped in the hall outside of C Block and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt tears swelling in his eyes. He couldn't afford another break down, no matter how badly his mind and body wanted it. And so he took a deep, steadying breath, collected his thoughts, and then headed out to make sure no other parts of the prison had been breached.

* * *

When she finished with her arrows, Claire retreated to her bunk. She laid down on it, staring up at the bed above her and chewing on her lip.

She was stepping into serious danger tomorrow. She might not make it back to the prison and it was all to help these people she didn't even know. She couldn't deny that part of her was questioning her sanity as she realized just how much she was about to risk for them, but the other part believed in what she was doing.

Could she walk away and just let these good people die? What if they were the only kind people left on Earth? What if the human race depended on them? How could she let that fall apart?

Still, she had her selfish thoughts that swam around in the back of her mind. She couldn't help those; it was simply human of her. They made her feel guilty though and she tried to push them away as she rolled onto her stomach.

Things were so different now. The rules and the way that life progressed was all new. She found herself considering things that she would have never considered before. In the past she would have said, "There is no way I would let people die! I'm not that selfish!" But now…now that she was actually facing the choice it wasn't that easy.

She could leave. She could give them directions to the camp, and then head out to find her brother. However, she knew she would wonder for the rest of her days if they'd survived. She would wonder if Rick and Daryl, the two kindest people she'd met in the world of the apocalypse other than Jake, were still alive.

She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping to get a short nap, but her eyes popped back open as she heard an angry shout from outside her cell.

"_You son of a bitch_!" It was a male voice and it was positively livid.

Claire scrambled to her feet and stuck her head out into the main room, watching as Daryl stepped within inches of one of the men wearing a prison jumpsuit. The young blonde girl, Beth, came running up behind him, insisting, "Daryl, no, not here—"

"Beth, what's going on?" Herschel asked, using his crutches to life himself to a standing position. The scene was taking place only a couple feet from him.

"Nothing—"

"It ain't nothin', but why don't we step outside and we can tell Daddy just what the fuck you were up to!" Daryl snapped, still staring down the former prisoner. He had shaggy, light hair and a somewhat wild mustache.

"But it is nothing! He didn't do anything!"

"He tried! That's enough for me!" Daryl looked as though was about to beat the living hell out of the man at any second, the muscles in his arms tensing to the point that it looked painful.

"He did _what?_" Rick jumped in, standing up and moving towards the man in question.

"Daryl, did he touch my daughter?" Herschel demanded.

"No, Daddy, he didn't," Beth assured him.

"That true, Axel?" Rick hissed, his blue eyes dangerously narrow.

"I swear, man, I didn't do anything to her. I just—"

Axel didn't get to finish his sentence before Daryl interrupted, "You just tried! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat your ass!"

"Daryl, back off," Rick cut in, pressing his palm to his friend's chest and gently pushing him back. "I got this."

"Nah, man, I got it. Let me kick his ass, I guarantee it won't happen again."

"Daryl…what happened?" Rick met his eyes and stepped between him and Axel.

"He had her pinned in a corner trying to sweet talk her. She looked scared out of her damn mind. When he saw me the coward hoofed it back here."

Rick took a moment to absorb his words, and then turned back to Axel. His jaw was tight as he spoke, his words eerily quiet and low. "If you'd laid a finger on her I would be lettin' Daryl put an arrow through your brain right now. I'm lettin' you off the hook this time, but we'll be watchin' you. You so much as look at any of the women here the wrong way and you'll be walker chow. You got it?"

Axel looked positively terrified, his eyes wide and his hands trembling. He knew Rick and Daryl weren't messing around and Claire knew it, too.

"Yea, I got it…," he muttered, taking a step back from Rick. "I'm sorry, man, it won't happen again."

"Good." Rick shot him one last glare before he looked at Daryl and said, "Don't let him outta your sight."

Daryl gave a simple nod of understanding and his eyes roamed to Axel, watching him like a hungry hawk. His finger tapped his bow suggestively and Axel took a seat at the table, staring anxiously at the ground.

Claire leaned up against the bars outside her cell and caught Rick's arm as he walked past her. He stopped at her touch and met her eyes, asking, "What is it?"

"You're kind of terrifying," she joked, hoping to lighten his mood after the previous events.

"Oh yea?"

"Mhm. Scared me and I wasn't even the one in trouble. You handled that well." She smiled at him and he returned it, along with a small laugh.

"I don't think you were nearly as scared as our friend over there." He jerked his head in Axel's direction, shooting him an irritable glance. "He'd be dead right now if he'd touched her."

"I believe it," Claire said truthfully. "That's another reason you can trust me."

"Why's that?"

"Cause I'm not stupid enough to cross you. I don't want to die."

She knew Rick would kill anyone who risked the safety of his friends. She admired him for that in a way, but it also made him somewhat terrifying. She really was starting to think his mind was pretty unhinged.

"And I don't want to have to hurt you," Rick replied seriously. "I don't like to kill people. I don't even like killin' walkers. Sometimes I just have to. So, let's make a deal here…don't give me a reason to come after you and I won't."

"Deal." She stuck out her hand and he accepted the gesture, shaking on their pact. "And Rick…if you need someone to talk to that's unbiased, I'll be here all night."

He didn't respond, he just gave a little smile and walked back to Daryl.

Claire sighed as she watched him walk away. This was only day one and so far they'd been attacked by a herd of walkers and a member of the group was nearly beat to a pulp. It would be exciting to see what happened when they wandered beyond the prison gates.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the positive reviews! I hope you like this chapter. I had a good time writing it and I like the direction it's going to take things. Enjoy!

CHAPTER FOUR

"Rise and shine, sleepin' beauty!"

Claire's eyes slowly peeled open at the familiar sound of Daryl's voice and she rolled onto her back, yawning and stretching. "Mornin', Daryl."

"Mornin'. Bet that was the first good night of sleep you've had in a while," he said as she sat up, blinking rapidly and squinting against the daylight.

"Sure was. A prison bed is better than a tree any day," she chuckled groggily. "We 'bout to head out?"

"Yep. Let's get some food in ya first though. Don't need ya passin' out on us in that heat outside."

She nodded her agreement and pushed herself out of bed, feeling slightly groggy, but more well rested than she'd felt in a long time.

"Good mornin'," Rick greeted as she shambled out into the cell block. "I've got somethin' I imagine you might be happy about."

"Oh yea? What's that?"

"Coffee." He smirked and passed her what she recognized as her thermos, which she'd used to eat soup from last night.

"Oh my gosh…" she sighed happily, taking the container. "I never thought I'd have a cup of this again…"

"We had to rig somethin' up when we got here to make it," he told her, sipping on his own hot beverage. "It's black, don't have anything to put in it, but I didn't think that'd be an issue."

"It's not an issue at all," Claire concurred, taking the first sip of coffee she'd had in longer than she could remember. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste as she sunk down into a seat at the table. "Rick, I could kiss you for this."

"Just taking care of my friends," he replied, his eyes meeting hers as they opened again.

"I wouldn't count me in that category just yet. Remember, I might have an ambush waiting for you."

"Yea, well, I'm still holdin' you to that deal we made last night."

"Good, cause I'm holding you to your end, too." And she really hoped he would keep to it, because she didn't want to be cut down before she had a chance to prove herself.

"And what deal might that be?" Herschel wondered.

"The one where I don't kill her unless she gives me a reason to," Rick explained casually.

"I see. Sounds like a good deal to me."

Claire nodded and drank some more of her coffee, smiling at Daryl as he slid some food in front of her.

"You need more than caffeine in your system," he insisted.

"Yes, sir," she teased, starting on her breakfast.

She glanced around the room to see everyone eating peacefully. Beth was finished and feeding the baby, cooing at her and smiling. Glenn and Maggie were giggling about something over their food. Daryl was helping the boy—who Claire had learned was named Carl—clean the guns. The only other woman other than her and Maggie, Carol, was the one dishing out coffee. And last but not least, there was Axel and Oscar. The two of them sat against the wall talking quietly and Claire wondered if it was at all related to the events from yesterday.

It was an odd morning. Everything seemed so quiet and simple and it was the first morning that she wasn't alone in a long time. She missed having someone to talk to when she woke up and she had _really_ missed coffee. If they weren't all dirty and hiding out in an abandon prison, she could almost believe things were normal.

"I haven't seen anything like you guys in a very long time," Claire mused.

"Whataya mean?" Rick wondered.

"I mean…you're like a family," she explained, taking another look around the cell block. "I had a group before and I've seen other groups…mostly they just stick together for survival, but no one really trusts each other. But you guys…you _love_ each other. You'd die for each other."

"Yes, we would." He smiled at her observation and she saw some light actually leak into those sad eyes for once.

"Hey, now…I think you might have actually meant it that time," she teased.

It took him a moment to realize what she meant, but she saw his smile spread once he figured it out. "Yea, well…these people are all I've got left to smile about."

"Yep and here's something to make that smile stick," Beth added in as she walked over to him. She had Judith in her arms and she held her out to him. "She's all fed and happy."

Claire watched with a small grin on her lips as Rick carefully took his little girl. He cradled her to his chest, his whole face lighting up now as he looked at her.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said softly. "I know you haven't had much time to get to know me and I'm sorry about that."

The little girl wiggled a bit in his arms, but she remained silent and content as she stared up at her dad curiously.

"She's beautiful," Claire told him, her heart growing warm at the sight in front of her. The idea of a new, innocent life in the middle of all the death outside was astounding and wonderful. Never had a baby looked quite so special or so fragile to her.

"Thank you," Rick replied, refusing to peel his eyes away from his daughter. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you, Judith. Just know that. I love you."

Claire knew he was worried he wouldn't see her again after today. She could hear it in his voice—that hint of fear that lingered behind his joy. But she also knew he would do everything he could to get back to her.

"All right, daddy. I hate to cut it short, but if we wanna get back at a decent hour we gotta get goin'," Daryl said, getting up from his place on the floor.

Rick sighed and nodded as he replied, "Yea…you're right."

He kissed Judith again and handed her back to Beth, the happiness fading from his face as he let her go. His expression grew serious, all business now, and he stood up.

"You ready to head out?" he asked Claire.

"Sure. Let's go." She got to her feet and hurried back into her cell to grab her bow and arrows. She pulled her pistol from her bag as well and loaded it, slipping an extra magazine with the last of her ammo into her jeans pocket.

"Here, take this, too," Rick insisted, handing her a large buoy knife as she turned around.

"You don't need it?"

"Nah, I've got this." He gestured to his hatchet, which he had strung to his belt again. "How much ammo do you have?"

"Forty rounds." She flashed her gun that she'd been given by her brother a couple years before the infection had started to spread.

"That's a beautiful gun."

"Thanks. Is there anywhere in this prison where I can find some nine millimeters?"

He thought on it for a moment and nodded. "There might be. There's an armory. Not a whole hell of a lot left, but those are pretty common so we can check."

"Kay. Why don't we run by there first before we head out? I've got another magazine I could fill."

"Sure thing. You ready to go?"

Claire nodded and tucked her gun into its holster. Her bow and arrows hung at her back and the buoy knife was tucked into a sheath on her hip.

They met up with Daryl and after stopping at the armory they headed out. Claire was able to fill another magazine and she thanked God for her gun having such common ammunition. She figured that was probably one of the reasons her brother bought it for her.

She was also thankful for the SUV the group had to help get them most of the way to the camp. They would have to leave it behind on the road and sneak into the camp, but that was fine with her.

She had to admit that she was nervous though. She knew the walkers were terrifying, but people were what you had to really worry about. They could hurt you in ways that a walker never could—in ways a walker didn't even know existed. She felt a little better having Rick and Daryl with her, but she knew she was disposable to them. They could ditch her at any point to save each other and she could end up dying today.

As she sat in the back of the car she examined the knife Rick had given her, twirling it slowly in her hands. It was a beautiful knife and was very fond of it. She'd always been a weapon enthusiast since she was about fifteen and her brother had introduced her to his knife collection.

She thought about him all the time. She couldn't help it. She always wondered if he was still alive out there. She always told herself he had to be, because he was so prepared. If anyone in the world could survive it was him.

"You're quiet," Rick pointed out, looking at her in the review mirror. "Anything on your mind you want to share?"

"Not thinkin' bout killin' us are ya?" Daryl joked. "You're lookin' at that knife pretty intently."

"I was just thinking about my brother," she sighed, tucking the knife away and looking at Daryl. "I want to try finding him after this."

"I kinda wanna find mine, too," he replied. "He was alive last time I knew…runnin' around without his hand somewhere."

"Oh, fuck. How did that one happen?"

"I cuffed him to a rooftop and a deceased member of the group dropped the key down a drain," Rick filled her in. "We had to bail, 'cause the place was being swarmed."

Claire nodded, a wave of sympathy for Daryl rolling over her. "Wow…so he cut his hand off?"

"Yea. That's all we found when we went back for him," Daryl told her, his voice grim.

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say. If that had been her brother she would have been a mess.

"Yea, well…can't say he didn't ask for it."

Claire went silent after that, not sure what more she could say at that point. Everyone's live were a mess those days and everyone had lost people they loved. No one had a simple story anymore.

She was once just a psych student working a nine-to-five job and now she was a loner searching for her lost brother. She had suffered through horrible things, had to do things she never would have imagined she had it in her to do, and somehow she was still going.

It was a quiet ride after that and she was thankful for it. There was simply too much running through her mind to focus on a conversation.

Soon she had to make herself focus though, because they were parking the car and getting ready to go scope out the camp. Her nerves spiked as they got out of the SUV and pulled their pistols from their holsters, her heart thudding forcefully against her chest.

"We'll cut across through the woods," Rick decided, leading the other two towards the trees. "We need as much cover as possible. Keep quiet, keep your gun ready, and keep your eyes alert. If one of them is out hunting or scavenging we could run into trouble."

Claire and Daryl nodded, staying close behind him, and they moved quietly into the woods. They walked as fast as they could without making too much noise and without tripping over branches, each of them gripping a weapon tightly and surveying the greenery surrounding them.

The trees were always dangerous territory thanks to walkers, but now they were potentially treading on the toes of a very sadistic enemy. This struck twice the amount of fear into Claire, but she tried not to think on it. She focused her gaze on the trees around her and took steady breaths, keeping herself calm. If she had to fight she wanted to be as alert as possible.

They passed a few stray walkers on the way, a few of them far enough away to ignore, but the others had to be dealt with. Rick handled the ones on the path, pulling his hatchet from his belt and slamming it into their skills without a flinch. As Claire watched him, seeing the way his eyes burned with a sudden and vicious anger, she returned for a moment to her thoughts that he might be somewhat out of his mind.

Of course, she had to admit that killing walkers was a great release for any pent up anger, even for her. As she dashed off the path, stabbing Rick's knife into the forehead of one of the creatures, she felt all of her frustrations bubbling up inside of her and being released. They burst forth from her as the blade sank to its hilt in rotted flesh and as she returned to her group she felt a little less like hell.

Still, as her eyes roamed to their leader she wondered what might be going on inside his head. There was something in his face every time she looked at him—he was never calm. Not that "calm" was a common trait now, but everyone else still mellowed out now and then. Not Rick, though.

The tension in his face and body only increased as they crept closer to the camp. It was in view now and they ducked down, taking shelter behind the brush at the edge of the trees. The tents were a quite a few yards away from the woods, probably for safety reasons, and as long as they remained still they wouldn't be seen.

Claire thought it looked like a normal place at first. People were hanging laundry, cooking on a fire, and chatting peaceful amongst each other. It was an innocent enough sight, but it didn't take long before that image was ruined.

Across the field someone emerged from the trees and what they brought with them sent a chill of fear running down Claire's spine. She shivered slightly and her eyes met Rick's, the same disturbed suspicion she felt taking over his face.

The man, who was incredibly large in build, walked out behind a young couple who had their hands placed at the backs of their heads. He had a pistol in each of his hands and they were pointed at the prisoners backs as they walked to the center of the camp.

Another much more slight man joined them, stepping out from one of the tents, and smiled with satisfaction. He spoke, much too quietly for Claire to hear, and the couple shook their heads. Their faces were distorted with fear and the female looked as though she was crying.

"The fuck is goin' on?" Daryl muttered.

"I dunno…," Claire sighed, shaking her head. "Nothin' good."

They watched as the man from the tent spoke again and as he gave a nod to the man with the guns. A look of horror flashed over the woman's face, but her companion simply looked over at her and reached his hand out for hers. His face was calm as she went to take his hand, but before their fingers touched the larger man put a bullet into the backs of their heads.

They fell to the ground and the man tucked his guns back into their holsters, smirking and stepping over the bodies. He hollered something at a nearby observer, which Claire was just able to hear. "Get rid of 'em!"

Claire's pulse was racing out of control and she wasn't sure if she was more furious or more horrified. Either way, her hands were beginning to tremble and she had to look away as the couple was thrown onto a tarp like trash.

"I think we might have our guys," Rick sighed. "I don't know what the hell just happened, but it don't seem right."

"You look kinda sick," Daryl said with concern, leaning his head down to meet Claire's eyes.

"I'm okay…"

"Ya sure? Seems like ya get queasy a lot."

She glared at him, but she imagined the fear in her eyes ruined the effect. "I just don't like killing. I don't like corpses."

"Well this is a bad world to live in then," he mused, a dark amusement flashing in his eyes.

"No kidding. Seriously, I'm okay, I just…I'm a little too human, I guess." She looked away from him, staring blankly at the grass and taking deep, steadying breaths.

"We don't have time for psychoanalysis right now," Rick suddenly said, the slight panic in his voice catching Claire's attention instantly. "The disposal crew is headed this way. We gotta bail."

Without a moment of hesitation, the three of them were up and moving. They crouched down as they darted to their left, the sound of approaching voices growing slowly louder behind them.

"If he's gonna keep blowing people's brains all over the place I think he should be doing this," an unpleasant, gruff voice complained.

"Yea, well if we keep our mouths shut for now, we'll be in a better position soon." The other voice was female and as Claire ducked behind a tree she thought that it sounded like she discussing more than a job position.

She glanced over at Rick, who was hiding behind a tree a few feet away from her, and shot him a curious stare. He returned it and they listened intently as the man grumbled, "I'm getting' tired of kissin' his ass. He ain't God."

"God can go to Hell," the girl spat. "God did this to us. Kaylob is going to get us out of it. He's better than God in my eyes."

Claire frowned, disturbed by the passion and praise in her voice. That was just what they needed was some crazy cult trying to steal the prison in the name of some power hungry leader.

"Yea, well I'm sick of kissin' his ass. Let's go get the shovels."

With that their footsteps headed back towards the camp and Claire waited silently for them to fade before she peaked around her tree. They were in the clear, so she looked to Rick and suggested quietly, "We should get out of here before we end up like the people in that tarp."

"I agree. Let's go."

The three of them headed back towards the road much quicker than they had walked to the camp. Claire couldn't help feeling paranoid, the hair at the back of her neck standing up like she was being followed. She knew there was no way they could have been seen, but there was just something so _off_ about those people.

She kept glancing back over her shoulder, her hand sweating as she gripped her gun with more force than was necessary.

"If these are the people who did that to us, we're in deep shit," Daryl observed, his eyebrows narrowed with concern. "There was a lot of 'em and obviously they're fuckin' wacked in the head."

"They sound like a cult. I mean, 'he's better than God'…" Claire's voice trailed off and she shook her head. She didn't know how to describe the anxious pit in her stomach. Her instincts were telling her there was something seriously wrong with those people just liked they'd had when she'd passed the camp before.

"I'm with you guys on this, but we gotta keep our heads straight," Rick insisted as they reached the road and the SUV. "We can't let them get in our heads."

Claire simply nodded her agreement as she climbed into the vehicle, but before she could close her door and get settled in she noticed Daryl standing oddly still outside his own door.

She stepped back out onto the street and opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but she didn't have to speak. She could see for herself.

Standing at the edge of the trees was a tall, bulky man with thinning, gray hair and a dangerous leer on his face. Claire studied him and realized she didn't even have to ask who he was. Her eyes dropped lower and she saw that instead of a right hand, he had a long knife rigged to the stump that was his forearm.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Once again, thanks so much for the reviews! It always makes my day to read them and I am so glad to know people actually enjoy reading this, lol.

I had fun with this chapter, because I finally got to get into Rick's head a little more and I hope you will have fun reading it!

CHAPTER FIVE

"It's been a while, lil' brother."

"Merle, the fuck are ya doin' out here?" Daryl exclaimed. "You ain't part of that group back there, are ya?"

"So what if I am? Gonna shoot me?"

"Gonna kick your stupid ass is more like it! There's somethin' real wrong with that camp and I wanna know if you're part of it." He shot his brother an impatient glare and Claire couldn't help thinking this wasn't the kind of reunion he'd been hoping for.

"Yea, I am. Whatcha gonna do 'bout it? Gonna have yer sheriff handcuff me to somethin' else this time? There's lotsa trees! Pick one!" He waved his arms dramatically, gesturing to the woods they'd just emerged from.

"Merle, we went back for you," Rick told him, moving to stand next to Daryl. Claire noted the tight grip he had on his gun as he did this.

"And that's s'posed to make everythin' better, huh? I'm just s'posed to forgive ya and leave my camp. We're just gonna make up and be buddies? Sorry to ruin yer day, Sheriff, but no fuckin' way."

"How long you been with these assholes?" Daryl questioned his brother. "'Cause we're pretty damn sure they're the reason we were almost killed yesterday."

"Ah, shit…," Merle laughed, shaking his head. "Don't tell me yer the group out at that prison."

"Yes, actually, we are," Claire snapped, stepping forward. This guy's attitude was starting to piss her off already. "And I don't see how it's funny that your brother was almost killed."

"And who the fuck're you?"

"None of your fucking business."

"Well, well…she's a feisty one. You hittin' that hot piece of ass, lil' brother?" His eyes didn't leave her as he spoke and the way he leered at her only fueled her anger.

"You need to tell your group to back the hell off," Claire hissed.

"Claire, relax," Rick said quietly, reaching over and resting his hand on her shoulder. "He's trying to get you riled up."

She bit her lip, swallowing the curses she wanted to sling at Merle, and nodded. Rick was right. It wasn't helping anything fighting with this man.

"Ya, that's right. Stay in your place," Merle taunted, smirking at her.

Claire's fists tightened and she looked at Daryl, muttering, "Please deal with him before I do."

"Merle, what kinda pull you got in that camp?" Daryl asked him. "We got a baby at that prison, man. We need that place."

"There ain't shit I can do 'bout that. They're set on gettin' that place."

"Well, I think you oughta give them a message," Rick growled, stepping forward. "We're not going to hand that place over. My _child_ is in that building."

"I can pass the message along, but don't think it'll make a damn bit o' difference," Merle said with a shrug. "How 'bout you, Derle? Gonna come back with me or are ya gonna follow yer little sheriff buddy back home?"

Daryl turned to Rick, a torn look in his eyes as he suggested, "Maybe I should go...maybe I can talk some sense into these people."

"Why you gotta ask him? Ain't his choice. You his bitch now?" Merle antagonized his little brother, but Daryl ignored him. He simply met Rick's eyes and waited for his response.

"No. No, I'm not gonna risk your life like that," Rick refused. "These people don't sound like the type you can talk sense into."

"Ain't that sweet? Got a thing for my lil' brother, Sheriff? Maybe _yer_ the bitch," Merle taunted.

"Would you please shut the hell up?" Claire snapped. "Jesus fucking Christ! I've never met a man with a mouth like yours!"

"Wanna find out what else this mouth can do, sugar?" He narrowed his eyes at her and grinned mischievously.

"No, thanks. Rick, can we just get outta here? We need to get back to others and make sure everyone is safe." She glanced at the group leader uneasily and sighed with relief when he nodded.

"Yea…you're right," he decided. He looked back at Merle one last time and said, "You tell that group of yours that we're willing to talk this out if they can be diplomatic, but we're not backing down from that prison."

"Yea, yea…I'm sure I'll be seein' ya soon, Sheriff," Merle replied as he backed towards the trees. "You, too, Derle."

Daryl didn't speak; he just climbed into the SUV along with the others. Claire looked at his face in the mirror and saw the pained look of contempt on his face as Rick began to drive. It was like he wanted to hate his brother with everything he had, but he didn't know how.

She wanted to say something to make it better, but what could she say? There were no words for something like that. She was lucky to have a brother she adored and was close to…if he was even alive.

It was a quiet ride back to the prison, just as Claire had expected it to be, and she found herself frowning as she realized she probably wasn't getting any hunting done. They hadn't imagined they'd find such disturbing discoveries and they certainly hadn't planned on Merle. Their hasty exit had been a necessary reaction, but she was still bummed.

And now she would probably have to leave the group and that idea made her sadder than it should. As she headed to her cell to gather her things, she realized just how much she had missed other people. And these people…they would be missed more than she liked to admit. She didn't know them well, but they were such a rarity in those times.

She sat on her cot and began organizing her bag, chewing on the inside of her lip as she thought about heading out to find her brother. She wanted to find him more than she could say, but she didn't want to go out on her own again…

"Ready to use that bow?"

Claire flinched, her gaze swiftly rising to Daryl's still solemn face.

"What?" she muttered, caught off guard by his sudden question.

"You wanted to hunt with me," he reminded her. "I know we were s'posed to do it back by that camp, but…"

"But that would have been a really bad idea?" she finished for him, her face lighting up at his offer. "I am more than ready to use this bow."

* * *

"So…you leavin' tonight?" Daryl asked Claire as they crossed the field to the woods.

"Didn't think I had a choice," she admitted, trying not to grasp too tightly to the small ray of hope he was giving her.

"Well, I ain't the leader and we make decisions as a group, but…I'd say after what you did for us today you're welcome to another night."

She nodded and tapped her finger against her bow as she tried to decide what to say. "I…I'm not sure if I should. I mean…I want to, but it's just too much good. I don't want to overdo it."

"I know whatcha mean. I hadn't planned on stayin' part of a group, but hell if it ain't been good to me. Not sure what I'd do on my own now. I'd survive, but that's about it."

"Yea and surviving isn't the same thing as living in my opinion," she mused as they reached the trees. "I just never thought I'd find something like you guys and now I have to leave."

"Got that brother of yours to find, don'tcha?

"Mhm…if he's even alive."

"Well, dunno if it makes ya feel better, but I thought Merle was as good as dead. But we found him alive and kickin'." He frowned at the mention of his brother and the muscles in his arms tensed.

"Yea…look, I know it's not my business, but it seems like you're not too happy about that. Wanna talk about it?" she offered.

"Nah. I'm used to him being a prick. Been that way mah whole life." He shrugged and came to a stop, reaching out just far enough to brush his fingers over her arm and hint for her to do the same. "Now let's do some huntin'."

* * *

Rick was proud of his group today. When Claire and Daryl had gone out to hunt he had brought up an issue to the rest of the members and had been pleasantly surprised by how open minded they'd been. Even Glenn, who was the most leery of Claire, had been open to letting her hang around a bit longer.

It was only another night, but Rick figured it was the least they could do after she'd risked her life for them twice. And the way she'd handled Merle today, like it was her own friends she was fighting for, had earned her quite a bit of respect in his book.

Claire was a good girl. She was eager, smart, a good shot, and she could handle herself. He had to admit she would be a valuable addition to the prison if it weren't for the fact that they couldn't afford another mouth to feed. Rick knew what his priorities were and his family would always come first. The family that was the survivors he'd grown so close to, as well as his daughter and son, were the most important thing to him and he couldn't let anyone else in if it meant any risk for them.

But one more night of shelter and companionship he could manage.

Daryl seemed pretty fond of her and Rick couldn't help wondering if he found her at all attractive. Rick had already admitted to himself that he did—how could he deny it when every time he looked at her he felt his long-dormant hormones give a slight twitch as if they wanted to come back to life? Not that he would ever act on those little urges, but he wouldn't judge Daryl for doing so. He figured his friend could use the release of tension and the companionship.

Hell, even Rick could use that. It had been months since he and Lori had been at all intimate and despite all of the craziness he had to worry about, he was still a man with needs. But he never could…it would be an insult to his wife's memory. She had died giving birth to their daughter—he couldn't repay her by sleeping with the first cute twenty-one year old that came along.

He sighed as he paced outside the prison, wondering why he was even thinking about it. It was a ridiculous place for his mind to roam and he needed to focus on other things.

Then again, he sort of welcomed the distraction. His thoughts got exhausting those days. It was always Lori…always those last days and the times she'd tried to reconcile everything between them. Always the way he had rejected her and brushed her off. Always the smell of her hair on the breeze—just enough to drive him mad—and the too real feeling of her soft hands running over his hair and his arms…

It was enough to make him silently crazy. He held it all in, balled it up to be dealt with later just like he'd done when she was alive, and he often wondered how long it would be until he snapped. Without Judith and Carl to ground him, he would probably float off to crazy town and never come back.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, taking in the world around him for the millionth time and trying to make sense of it like he always did. Sometimes it seemed like a horrible nightmare that he couldn't wake up from and other times it seemed like a sharp, brutal reality he would never escape.

Right now it was all too real and he felt the nauseous pit in his stomach he'd grown accustomed to starting to return.

"Lori…I don't know what I'm supposed to do now," he whispered, eyes lifting to the sky as if he was hoping to see her looking down at him. "Survive? Help these people survive? Live day to day, always afraid to love anything, because I am so scared to lose it? I'm scared to hold our little girl…I'm scared to love her as much as I do…"

His voice cracked and faded as tears swelled in his eyes. Did he even believe she could hear him? Could God and Heaven even be real? It didn't seem like it. It seemed like life was a cruel, but glorious torture that seemed to last forever, but then ended much too soon.

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to pull himself together. He was on watch. He couldn't break down right now.

He took a deep breath and wiped away the stray tear that had managed to escape, temporarily calming his thoughts. He could deal with this later when he was in his cell alone. Now wasn't the time. It was _never_ the time.

* * *

It was late when Claire and Daryl returned to find Maggie and Glenn on watch. They'd managed to catch a couple squirrels and even a rabbit, so they were both in pretty high spirits—Claire in particular.

"You, my friend, are a very good teacher," she told Daryl as they headed inside.

"Nah, you're just a good student," he replied with a light smile. "Gotta work on the noise a little, but you did good."

They entered C Block to see that most everyone was sleeping, Rick being the exception. He was sitting by the small fire pit they had built inside and as the hunters walked in he looked up and said, "I figured you might wanna cook your catches tonight—have 'em for breakfast in the morning."

"Yea, sure thing. Just gotta skin 'em and clean 'em," Daryl agreed. "Ready for your next lesson, Claire?"

She went to tell him that she was more than ready, but she was cut off as Rick said, "Actually, I kinda wanted to talk to her for a minute. Think you could start that on your own?"

Claire looked at Rick curiously as Daryl shrugged and said, "Whatever. I'll show her when you're done chattin'."

Rick stood and beckoned for her to follow him. She obeyed, trailing him out into the next room.

"What's up?" she wondered.

"Well, first of all I just wanted to thank you," he started, a light and kind smile forming on his lips. "You've done more for us than you had to and I appreciate it more than I can tell you."

"It's no problem. You guys have helped me, too," she reminded him. She thought it was nice of him to thank her though, considering she really didn't think he needed to.

"But you've risked your life for us twice and you barely know us. That's more than I ever could have asked for. I was going to offer to let you stay another night, but I think at this point, it's happening either way." He jerked his head in the direction of a nearby window, referring to the late night blackness outside.

Claire chuckled and nodded. "Yea, I guess it is. I have to go look for my brother tomorrow…"

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about," he informed her. "You said he had a bunker in this town, right?"

She nodded again and waited to see where he was going with that thought.

"Well, I figured to pay you back for helping us out today, I could drive you out to his place and you could see if he's still hangin' around."

"Seriously? You'd do that for me?" She knew how precious gasoline was those days and she knew they had to use it for other things.

"It's the least I can do. I can't offer you a place to stay for good, but I can at least save you that walk."

Without thinking on her actions, she stepped forward and pulled Rick into an enthusiastic hug. She didn't know why it meant quite so much to her that he was doing this for her. It was a short drive and she really had risked her ass to earn this, but for some reason she was overwhelmed with gratitude at his offer.

She figured it was just the joy at having her faith in humanity restored, but either way she hugged him tightly and said, "Thank you, Rick. You've been amazing the past couple days."

Claire released him and smiled gratefully, but it faltered as she saw the peculiar look on his face. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was taut, even though he was returning her smile.

"I'm sorry…are you not the hugging type?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously. She didn't want to upset him.

"No, no, it's fine…" He waved his hand as if to brush away her assumption. "I'm actually quite a fan of them. Guess it's just been a while since someone hugged me with that much enthusiasm."

Claire frowned at him. He was like an abused puppy or something. He wanted affection, but when he got it he flinched away in fear. She figured she understood it—losing his wife had to really damage him—but she couldn't help wondering if there was something more to it than that.

"Rick…are you okay?" she wondered, watching him closely. She didn't want a half-assed "fine" from him. She wanted to know if he was really going to be okay.

"Yea. I'm good." He plastered on a smile and Claire's eyebrows furrowed with disapproval.

"No, you're not. I can tell."

"Claire…I'm _good_." He gave her a look that warned her not to push it—that told her he was still too wounded to speak out loud about what had happened.

"Okay…but if you're ever _not _good...you can talk to me." She knew it was a pointless promise. After tomorrow she would probably never see Rick again. Still, she wanted him to know someone gave a damn and that someone could see the pain he was in.

"Why don't you get to bed?" he suggested, sighing and walking past her. "Got a big day tomorrow."

Claire hadn't expected him to open up to her—they hardly knew each other after all—but as he walked away she wished he would. She would never say it, because she didn't want to impose, but she just wanted an excuse to stay. No matter what it was—even if it was just counseling Rick—she wanted a reason not to go.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hi guys! Thanks a ton for the reviews! :) I am having such a good time with this story, so it's awesome to know you guys enjoy it, too!

CHAPTER SIX

Claire tried to make her goodbye in the morning as quick as possible. She didn't like having to say it—she never had—and it was only worse now that she so rarely came across other human beings.

Daryl was the hardest one to part with. She didn't know him well, but she had become quite fond of him very fast. He was a good man—funny, kind, brutally honest, and sincere. She would miss him, but she had refrained from saying so as she'd given him a quick hug. She wasn't sure they would all understand just how sad she was to go after such a short time. They were used to having each other, they'd built a family together, while Claire was used to being on her own. That little taste of what they had…it was more than she'd ever hoped for.

She and Rick were driving to her brother's house now and she could see there was something on his mind. He looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to say it.

"Claire?" he sighed, glancing over at her.

"Yea?"

"I just…I want to know if you've thought about what you're going to do if…if he didn't make it." He met her eyes for a moment, sympathy clear on his face as he let his words sink in, and then turned his gaze back to the road.

"Of course. And honestly, I have no idea." Finding him had been her mission for so long. It had been the driving force keeping her moving. For a while she'd had Jake to look after, but after she'd lost him she would have given up if not for the hope that she had some family left in the world.

Rick was silent for a long moment, occasionally looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He tapped his fingers on the wheel pensively, and then finally said, "I'll make you a deal. If you don't find him…or if you do and he's dead…you can stay at the prison."

Claire's lips curled upward, despite the depressing idea of her brother being dead. "Sounds like a good deal to me."

"Well as much as I'd enjoy your company, I hope it doesn't have to come to that."

"Me, too…but it's nice to know I won't be alone if it does." It was nice to know there was someone else in this world concerned with her wellbeing.

"I couldn't leave you out on your own like that," he said, shaking his head. "When this all happened…I woke up in a hospital after everything went to hell. I'd been shot on the job and this is what I woke up to. Dead people walking the streets and my wife and son nowhere to be found. I know what it's like to be alone in this world."

Claire nearly gasped at what he told her. She couldn't imagine what that was like. To go to sleep in a normal world and wake up to the end of it…

"I'm really sorry…for everything you've had to go through. It couldn't have been easy." Without really thinking about it, she reached over and touched his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She removed her hand almost instantly though, because she saw the same tension take over him that she had seen when she'd hugged him.

"Nothing is easy anymore," he replied simply. "It's just the way it is."

"I guess you're right, but that doesn't mean you're not allowed to be upset about it."

"Claire, can you please stop analyzing me?" He looked at her knowingly and frowned. "I'm not a puzzle you need to figure out. I'm just a human being in a really messed up situation."

She recoiled in surprise, his words making her heart sink a little. She hadn't meant to upset him; she was just trying to be there for him. Of course, she did wonder about him and she did want to know more about him, but wasn't that normal? Wasn't that how people got to know each other and how friendships were made?

"Rick, I'm not trying to _analyze_ you…I'm just trying to help you," she insisted, keeping her tone level and patient.

"I don't need help."

"Right. Because you're 'good', huh? You're good to just bottle it all up until you explode," Claire challenged, not sure why she was pushing it. She just couldn't get past that haunted look in his eyes.

_Eyes that beautiful shouldn't be that sad_, she found herself thinking. The thought took her by surprise a bit and before she realized it she was studying the eyes in question. _They really are beautiful. _So_ blue._

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rick wondered, eyeing her uncertainly.

"Like what?"

"I don't know…like…" He trailed off and shook his head, obviously unwilling to finish his thought. Claire had a few ideas about what he might have meant.

Claire sighed and stared at the trees that zipped past her window. This conversation had gone south way faster than she had expected. Why did he have to be so damn defensive? It's not like she wanted his life story or for him to break down and cry. She knew they didn't know each other well enough for that. She just wanted him to let out some of that stress and tension that constantly hung over him. It wasn't healthy for him to hold onto it like he did.

"I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business," she apologized, still not looking at him. "Guess I wanted to be a psychiatrist for a reason. People's minds and problems fascinate me."

He didn't respond at first and she was worried that she'd really pissed him off, but eventually he said, "It's okay. You're probably right. I should talk about some things, but I'm just not ready to yet."

"Well, and I'm sure I'm the last person you want to pour your heart out to," she admitted. "You've got a whole family willing to listen to you. I'm just the pain in the ass tag-a-long you've known for two days."

She turned her head to smile at him and was happy to see that he had a grin on his face as well.

"Well…that's not completely true. I like talking to you. Besides…it would be nice to have someone who doesn't already know the whole story to talk to. Someone unbiased."

"Don't get mad at me for saying this, but it's just…you do puzzle me," she explained. "I've never seen someone who is so broken, but so strong at the same time."

"You think I'm broken?" he mused, his eyebrow arching curiously.

"Aren't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of. These days, we all are." It was the last thing she had a chance to say on the matter before her brother's house came into and she had to say, "It's right here. The one on the corner."

Rick pulled into the appropriate driveway and Claire made a mental note on the fact that her brother's car was still there. She wasn't sure what that might mean—the possibilities were endless—but she hoped it wasn't anything bad.

"You ready for this?" Rick asked patiently, letting her know it was okay if she wasn't.

"Yea. No point in putting it off. Either he's here or he isn't."

She sighed and readied her bow, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. There weren't many people out there, so the chance of running into walkers was slim, but it was always possible.

She led Rick up to the porch, comforted by the fact that he was behind her watching her back, and wiggled the front door knob. It was locked and when she gave it a good, forceful kick it didn't budge. She tried one more, slamming her boot into it, but still no luck.

She groaned and turned to Rick, saying, "I bet it's all boarded up. Let's go check the back."

He nodded and they headed around to the large backyard, Claire taking in the boarded up windows along the side of the house. He would have the place totally barricaded. She was going to have to break a window and bust through the boards.

"Well, I hope he doesn't try to shoot me for breaking and entering," she joked. "We're gonna have to bust in through the kitchen—that's where the entrance to the bunker is anyway."

"Stand back," Rick insisted, grabbing his hatchet and striding up to the window Claire had gestured to.

She did as he said and stepped back and to his left as he slammed the hatchet against the glass. It shattered and he used to blade to dislodge the jagged points that were left behind before he set to work on the wood.

As he hacked into the boards, Claire found herself admiring him once again. When he tensed his muscles, his back arching slightly as he brought the hatchet back, she noticed what a lovely structure he had. He had a very lean, strong body.

She sighed and glanced away from him, reminding herself that she didn't need _that_ kind of distraction right now. It was nice to have some eye candy though; it was few and far between those days, but right now she needed to focus on keeping them safe. That was much easier to do if she didn't look at him, so she turned around and scanned the field.

There were a couple of straggling walkers out by the tree line, but that was it. She would only worry about them if they wandered closer, which was a possibility with all the noise Rick had to make. Fortunately, it didn't last long and fairly soon he was saying, "We're in! C'mon."

She turned to see him hoisting himself up through the window. She quickly followed, a peculiar feeling settling in as she entered the familiar kitchen.

Her eyes roamed to the fridge where there were photos of her family magnetized to the front along with a couple of business cards and a small dry erase board. It was just how it was the last time she had visited him. It had been two years already…

"Being in here I could almost swear everything was normal," Claire mused. "'Cept for the barricaded windows and the eerie silence."

She made her way through the small space, stopping at the kitchen table. There were still old, unopened bills scattered across it and an envelope with her mother's Ohio return address. She picked it up slowly, her fingers trembling slightly as she examined the familiar handwriting.

"I bet this was his birthday card," she muttered. "He never even opened it. That's not like him."

Maybe he was dead. Or maybe he had bailed at the last minute and was long gone—too far gone for her to find. She knew him and she knew he would have opened and treasured this card if he'd had the chance. He was always a bit sentimental when it came to that stuff.

"It doesn't mean anything," Rick soothed. "This whole place is boarded up. It doesn't look like he even left. He could be right downstairs hiding out."

"Well, I guess there is only one way to find out." She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled a small, silver key from it. "Let's go check the bunker."

She tossed the card back onto the table—not having the strength to open it and read her mother's words—and headed to the steel door at the far right end of the kitchen. Her hand still trembled slightly as she went to slide the key into the lock and grumbled in frustration as she fumbled with it.

"Hey," Rick said softly, reaching out and taking her hand. He gently pulled it back and plucked the key from her fingers. "I know this is hard for you. It's okay."

She glanced over at him as he leaned over her shoulder, his blue eyes full of understanding, and she nodded. "Yea…I just…I'm scared of what I might find."

"I've been there. But we've gotta do this." He broke their eye contact and slid the key into the lock, twisting it and pushing open the door.

A long, dark staircase was revealed to them and Claire had to choke back a wave of nausea as she imagined what might be waiting for her down there. He was all she had left and if he was gone…

She took a deep breath and started the descent into the bunker, pulling a lighter out of her back pocket. She flipped it open and slowly made her way down the stairs, calling, "Sean? Sean, are you down here? It's Claire!"

She listened intently, hoping to hear any sound. A cough, a sigh—anything to tell her that her brother was alive and waiting for her.

When nothing but silence met her ears she began to panic. Her heart rate spiked and her stomach churned as she called his name again only to be let down once again.

"Rick…," she muttered, coming to a stop. She looked back over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"We've gotta keep going," he urged her, moving down another step so that he was closer to her. He surprised her by placing a comforting hand at the small of her back.

"Can you go first?" she asked, offering the lighter to him.

"Sure." He nodded and took the flame from her, continuing his way down. Claire stayed close behind him, trying to soothe the nerves that were going wild in her body.

They finally reached the bottom of the stairs, which led them into a massive concrete room. The dim, orange light of the lighter flickering on the walls was disturbingly eerie and she bit her lip as she glanced around at the shadows it cast. She silently prayed one of them wasn't her brother's lifeless body.

"Sean?" The call was barely over a whisper and there was a desperate edge to it. "Sean, are you in here?"

Suddenly there was a low, long groan from across the bunker. The sound made Claire's heart drop and as it was followed by another gruff, scratchy grunt she felt her knees go weak.

Rick moved swiftly forward, his gun ready as made his way towards the strange sounds. He was almost to the corner, the light just beginning to illuminate it, when out of nowhere a bright, warm light flooded the room.

Claire's knees almost gave out now as she took in the sight that the newly shining lamp showed her and she raced across the small space left between her and the cot that was now easily visible.

"Sean!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she threw herself into the surprised, but eager arms of her big brother.

"Claire?!" he exclaimed, his wide brown eyes taking her in as he forced her back from him slightly. "Oh my god!"

His hands held her shoulders tightly and a wide, unbridled grin spread across his face.

"Sean, I thought you were going to be dead! Why didn't you answer me when I called your name?" She glared at him in disapproval, but he just continued to smile at her.

"I'm sorry, sis, I was asleep," he explained, getting to his feet. He still gently held her forearms and his eyes didn't leave her face for a second. "I…I can't believe you're alive…"

"You taught me well," she chuckled, pulling him into another hug. "I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you."

As they hugged she felt her brother go stiff and his voice became suddenly stern as he questioned, "Who's that?"

Claire released him and turned to look at Rick. He was standing back with a light smile on his face, which grew as he met her gaze.

"This is Rick," she replied. "He's been…really helpful. Gave me a place to stay, fed me, and drove me out here to see you."

"I see. Well, thanks for taking care of her," Sean said gratefully, although there was an undertone of his brotherly protectiveness in his voice.

"It was no problem at all. She's done her part to earn it."

"I'm sure she has. She's a good girl." Sean wrapped an arm around Claire's shoulders and hugged her to him.

"Yea, yea…," she sighed. "On to more important things. How are you on supplies?"

He shrugged and sat back down on the bed. "Eh…runnin' low. Gonna have to go out on a run soon."

"Have you been down here since it started?" Rick wondered.

"Yea. Boarded the place up and hunkered down."

Rick nodded slowly and Claire didn't miss the pensive look on his face.

"What're you thinking, Rick?"

"I was thinkin' that it might be dangerous for him to go on a run if he hasn't been out there yet," he said honestly, ignoring the look of annoyance on Sean's face.

"He'll be okay. He's good with his weapons and he's got a sharp eye," Claire assured him. "Besides, I'll be with him."

"What? Like my baby sister has to take care of _me_ now?" Sean teased.

"You don't know what it's like out there and what she's been through," Rick retorted, obviously not amused by his joke. "She's no baby."

Sean frowned and looked down at his sister. She was watching Rick with a solemn, but grateful expression on her face. She loved her brother, but he did have an irritating tendency to treat her like a little kid.

"How long you been hangin' around with this guy?" he asked her.

"Just a couple days."

"Well then, Rick…I think I know my sister a little better than you do. Now you can leave her here with me. Thanks for helpin' her out, but I can look after her from here." He stared at him expectantly, as if he wanted him to walk away without another word.

"Hey, now," Claire snapped. "Be nice. He's not leaving until I say goodbye."

She walked over to Rick and smiled up at him, saying, "Thank you so much for everything. Maybe I'll come see you guys sometime soon."

"You're more than welcome. Come here." He pulled her into a tight hug, the gesture taking her by surprise. "Be safe and don't take any of his bullshit. I know he's your brother, so I know he's gonna dish it out."

She chuckled at that, smiling softly with her face pressed against his neck and shoulder. It felt good for him to hold her like he was, his arms strong and secure. She felt safe.

"You be safe, too. And if you need my help with anything, you know where to find me."

"The same goes for you." He let her go and she couldn't help the frown that took over her face. She missed human contact and he had felt so nice…

"Well…bye for now," she sighed. "Tell everyone thank you for me again, especially Daryl."

"I will. Bye, Claire."

With that he turned and walked away, Claire more upset by the action than she would have expected. She just really liked Rick and she adored Daryl. She would miss them both and the idea that they might both wind up dead before she could see them broke her heart a little.

"You okay, sis?" Sean asked as Rick disappeared from view.

"Yea…I'm good."

She almost laughed at her words. She wasn't "good". She'd traveled for months on end to find her brother and now that she was here, she wanted to be somewhere else. All she wanted was to follow Rick back to the prison.

* * *

**Just a thought: I know Claire might seem a little overly attached to the group to some of you, but I am just going by how I think I would feel. I imagine your emotional reactions to people and situations would be intensified in a world where those experiences are so few and far between. Finding something that great and losing it would be hard in my opinion. Plus she's starting to realize her attraction to Rick little by little and that just makes it that little bit harder.**

**As for Rick, he feels protective of her. She's so young and on her own until this point and he worries about her. That's why he is so…affectionate, I guess? I think that's too strong a term for it, but oh well, haha. And of course, he is attracted to her, too.**

**What do you guys think? **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Hello, hello! Thanks so very much for the positive reviews! You guys know how to keep me going.

I'm going to try to update once a week or more for you guys. I get busy, 'cause I have a six month old little boy, but I use his naptimes to write, lol.

Hope you guys like the new chapter!

CHAPTER SEVEN

Claire and Sean roamed the woods out behind his house, hoping to catch some meat and save what was left of the canned foods. Claire crept along, remembering what Daryl had said about working on the noise, and tried to track the trail of the rabbit she'd seen.

She took one step, then another, placing each foot slowly and carefully onto the leafy ground. Her eyes focused on the forest floor, hunting for sticks or anything that might make unnecessary noise.

She couldn't help wishing Daryl was there with her to show her more. One trip wasn't enough to learn everything he had to show her. She sighed at that thought and tried to push it from her mind. She couldn't go back. She'd found Sean just like she'd wanted and there wasn't a place for him there. She knew that without ever asking. She knew Rick would never let him stay.

It was probably best to forget them and start focusing on surviving with her brother. Pining over a life she couldn't have wasn't going to make things any easier.

"What's on your mind, sis?" Sean asked her.

"Shhh…," she warned quietly. She was getting close to finding dinner and she would kill him if he scared it off.

She could feel the glare he shot her without ever having to see it, but she didn't care. This was more important than anything else at the moment.

"Big, bad hunter now, huh?" he teased, nudging her with his elbow.

She groaned and turned to face him, glaring. "_Shut up_."

He frowned, but he stayed silent and she was thankful. Just as she looked back up she saw her prey and readied her bow. She took a deep, steadying breath, focusing intently on the spot she wanted to hit, and as soon as she knew she could hit it, she let her arrow fly.

It raced through the air and stuck through the rabbit, hitting a half an inch lower than she'd wanted. Still, it was a good shot and the animal dropped.

"Yes," she finally replied to her brother. "I'm working on it at least."

"Where'd you learn that?"

"Months of traveling…and one of the guys from the prison taught me a few tips."

"Sounds like there were a lot of guys there," he observed.

"Yea. It was mostly men, to be honest." She shrugged and moved forward to retrieve her catch.

"They didn't…you know…do anything to you, did they?"

Claire spun on her heel and shot him an incredulous stare. "Where did that come from?"

"I dunno, you just seem really….upset and off," he explained. "I thought maybe something might have happened…"

"A lot of things have happened to me, but not that," she said simply. "They were all really good to me, especially Rick and Daryl. Daryl's the one who helped me with my hunting."

She figured it could have happened. Axel was a sketchy fellow, but it seemed like Rick and Daryl had him under control for the time being.

"Do you wanna talk about it? About the stuff that happened?"

She shrugged against as she removed the arrow from the rabbit and tossed the carcass into the bag she had slung over her shoulder. "Not really. It's just the way things are now and I have to deal with it myself or I'll never get past it."

She almost scoffed at herself. She'd given Rick so much grief for acting exactly how she was. She guessed she was just another hypocrite like every other human.

"It's just…you don't even seem like the same person anymore," Sean said, frowning at her. His thin, triangular face was distorted with concern.

"I'm not the same person. It's like Rick said…I'm not a baby."

She had watched both of her parents fall into the horrible fever that had consumed most of the human race. She had taken them to the hospital, tried to help them, and watched them die. She hadn't been able to kill them and that still haunted her. She wished now that she would have put them out of their misery instead of leaving them to wander the world rotting and hungry.

Two of her friends had committed suicide and the other she had to shoot in the head. She would never get past shooting Jake. She would never forget looking into those fogged over, cold eyes and putting him down like a sick pet.

She loved Sean, but he had been so sheltered. He didn't know the truth of how gruesome the world was and the horrible things you had to do to survive.

They were quiet as they made their way back, Claire catching a squirrel along the way. She wanted to go on a run for supplies—she could easily use Sean's car—but she would talk to him about it later. For now she just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Rick was doing a patrol of the prison, once again trapped alone with his thoughts. It really wasn't a good idea for him to be alone, but he would never say anything. The group looked to him to be strong and he wanted to keep up that reputation. It was good for them to have a strong leader to follow and if he caved they would lose that.

Of course, it probably wouldn't last long. Daryl would step up and take over without a single complaint. He was a good man like that.

Today Rick at least had a change in his usual thoughts. He wasn't going around and around with the old issues. Instead he thought of Claire and how sad she had looked when they had to say goodbye. He had expected her to be elated about finding her brother, but that part had only lasted long enough for her to hug Sean.

He couldn't help worrying about her. It was just in his nature to look after people. It had always had been. He wanted to protect people and help them; that's why he'd become a cop.

It was a good thing for her to leave though for a few reasons. Not only did they not have the extra food and supplies, but his physical attraction to her would have been a problem. She was much too young and he had just lost his wife. There was no way he could act on those impulses and it was better if the temptation wasn't there.

He had made his way back to the front of the prison by now to find Daryl and Glenn on watch. He smiled at them as he approached them and said, "Everything's clear for now."

"Same up here," Glenn reported.

"We gotta go on a run today, man," Daryl informed Rick. "Gettin' low on a few things."

"All right…wanna go with me?" Rick asked. "Might as well go now."

"Sure. Let's head out."

Good. That's what Rick needed—a distraction. It probably wasn't good for him to keep avoiding things, but what else could he do? There was no time for a breakdown. And so he and Daryl climbed into the SUV and headed out, Rick popping a CD they'd found into the player. If he played the music loud enough, he wouldn't be able to think.

* * *

They kept having to drive farther and farther away to find anything and it was wearing on Rick. They didn't want to leave the prison, it was a good place to be, but eventually they might have to move on.

However, he wouldn't give up that easy. There were ways to create natural resources and he would try those first. They could put together a garden for food. If they started it soon, they wouldn't have to go without eating.

That was part of why he'd wanted to go on the run right away—to find those things. Also, he just wanted to get out of the prison. There was just too much for him to dwell on there.

And so, he was relieved as he climbed out of the car outside an old department store. Even if they didn't find much, the walk would be a welcome activity.

"This place was probably ransacked pretty good," Daryl said truthfully. "Might still be some good stuff though."

"It's worth lookin' at least," Rick agreed, walking next to his friend as they headed into the store.

"So…you think Claire is doin' okay?"

Rick shrugged, not sure what his answer to that was. "I guess so…I mean, she's where she wanted to be. Her brother kinda seemed like a jerk though."

"Yea, well…she can take care of herself. Just kinda wish she coulda stayed."

"Me, too." Rick was kind of glad to know he wasn't alone on that. There weren't many good people left in the world and he valued the ones he found. Claire had definitely been one of them.

"Let's jus' get this done, so we can get back. I don' like leaving the prison with two less people," Daryl said, heading into the heart of the store.

Rick nodded in agreement and followed him. Now was not the time to wait around. That other camp could be making another advance at any time.

* * *

Claire hadn't really wanted to take Sean on her run with her. She believed what she had told Rick—that her brother was capable—but he wasn't used to things outside yet. He didn't know just how bad it was and he didn't know the rules. She filled him in though, just to be safe.

"If we run into walkers, you've gotta stab them or shoot them in the brain," she started as she drove. "Otherwise they won't stay down. Also, be quiet. Don't use your gun unless you have to. Sound attracts them."

"Listen to you, givin' orders," Sean teased. "Yes, ma'am."

She shot him an irritable glance. "It's not funny, Sean."

"I know, Claire, I know…and you know I'm careful."

"Yea…it's just you haven't had these experiences yet. One move could ruin you if you don't know those things." She'd been fortunate enough to figure it out on her own without winding up dead, but not everyone had that kind of luck.

"So…not sure I even want the answer to this, but…what happened to Mom and Dad?" He stared out his window as he asked and Claire knew he didn't want her to see how scared he was of her answer.

"They're walkers," she said bluntly, tapping her fingers anxiously on the wheel. She didn't like to talk about this, but she figured he had a right to know.

He was silent for a moment and as he finally spoke his voice was quiet, but it was laced with anger. "You didn't put them down?"

She bit her lip, fighting back the misery these thoughts brought with them, and tried to force the images of her sick parents from her mind.

"Could you?"

"Hell yes, I could! And I would've!" he snapped, finally looking at her with an incredulous stare. "You just left the roaming around like that? Rotting?"

"You weren't there, Sean, you don't know…" She was fighting back tears now and rage boiled up inside of her. "I had to watch them die. I had to see them become those things…"

She had to run away from them as they tried to attack her. She had to fight them off with a bat when they cornered her in the living room and she had to choose whether to bash in the skulls of her own parents or to take off.

He watched her for a moment and as he noticed the tears swelling in her eyes he apologized, "I'm sorry, Claire…it's just…I wouldn't want that. I wouldn't want to be stuck wandering around eating people and falling apart."

"I thought about going back," she sighed, finally getting a handle on the pit of emotions that had socked her in the stomach. "A couple days after I left…after I saw more of them…I thought about going back and putting them down, but I couldn't do it."

"Well…just promise me if I ever get bit that you'll put me out of my misery."

She glanced at him as her heart sank, not wanting to think about that. It made her think of Jake and the others. "Yea…I will. Just do the same for me."

He nodded and looked back out the window, going silent once again.

Claire focused on the road, not wanting to deal with the thoughts running rampant in her mind. She knew Sean meant it—that he would have killed their parents. He was always the strong one in the family. No matter how much a prick he could be, he had a good heart and he did what he thought was right.

"Hey!" Sean suddenly said, trying to get to her attention.

She looked over at him, and then in the direction he was pointing. There was a sign for a department store that was just a mile up the road.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed. "I mean, it's probably been looted like crazy, but you never know what you might find."

It was a small ray of hope, but she clung to it nonetheless. She needed something to smile about and that was enough for her.

As the abandon store came into view, she prepared to pull into the parking lot. When she did she felt her heart give a little leap as she saw a very familiar SUV parked up by the doors.

"They're here!" She sped up a bit, going to park near the vehicle she had been in just yesterday.

"They who? The prison people?" Sean clarified.

"Yea!" Claire hurried out of the car, readying her bow and heading for the double doors. She hoped it was Rick and Daryl—or at least one of them—but she would be pleased to see any of them.

She had almost made it to what used to be the glass doors—they'd been all been broken through—when someone suddenly came bursting through them. At first it was just a dark flash, but as they person skidded to a stop in front of her she realized it was Rick.

"Claire?!" He stared at her in shock for a moment, but then said, "We have to run!"

"What's going on?"

She didn't get an answer. Daryl came barreling through the doors next and grabbed Rick by the back of his shirt, making him move. Claire darted after them, sprinting the short distance to the SUV.

A moment later it became painfully obvious what the rush was about. She glanced back to see an entire herd of walkers pushing and shoving through the small space the doors created.

"Claire, get in your car and get outta here," Rick insisted, grabbing her shoulders and meeting her gaze. "They're everywhere in there."

She nodded and gave him a hasty hug before scrambling back to her vehicle. Sean was already waiting for her, but as she saw his face from the driver's seat she realized something was wrong.

"It won't start!" he hollered, trying again and again to turn the engine over. The car gave a pathetic whirring sound, and then went dead. It had probably gone much too long without proper maintenance after sitting idle in Sean's driveway for months on end…

Claire turned to see the walkers advancing on them and she demanded, "Get out of the car! We can ride with Rick!"

Sean didn't hesitate to obey. He hopped out and zipped around the car, joining Claire as they ran for Rick and Daryl's vehicle. Rick was already a step ahead of them and had the back door popped open.

Claire could hear the walkers now, groaning as they shambled up behind her, and she made a dive for the SUV. She tumbled onto the backseat and turned to check on Sean.

"C'mon!" she encouraged. He was almost there, but as he was about to make a lunge one of them stumbled around the back of the vehicle.

Sean tumbled back in surprise, but as he did so he yanked his machete from his belt. In that moment, the walker managed to get on him, rotted teeth gnashing at his face and decayed arms stretching for whatever piece of Sean it could grab.

Sean didn't take much time to retrieve his weapon though, having practiced for things like this most of his life. He brought the machete down with deadly force, slamming it into the walkers skull, and then gave the corpse a kick. It fell to the ground and Sean leapt over it.

"Get your ass in here!" Claire screamed at him.

He obeyed, making it into the SUV at last. He slammed the door shut and Rick gunned it, shooting forward and away from the mass of the dead that had been banging at the windows.

"Were either of you bit or scratched?" Daryl asked, turning in his seat to check on them.

"No," Claire said, still looking over the parts of her skin that were bare just to be sure. "I'm good."

"What 'bout you?" Daryl pressed, eyeing Sean uncertainly.

Claire's gaze roamed to her brother and her stomach lurched as she saw him staring down at his hand, his face pale and eyes wide.

"It scratched my hand…," he muttered, the words barely audible.

"Fuck!" Daryl hissed, climbing into the backseat between the siblings. "This is gonna hurt real fuckin' bad. Claire, take off my belt."

She didn't hesitate to obey. Normally she would have taken a moment to chuckle at what he was asking her to do, but it wasn't funny now. Now it was going to hopefully save her brother's life.

She reached around Daryl as he took Rick's hatchet from him and began to sterilize it with a lighter. She quickly unfastened his belt and slid it out of the jean loops, handing that to him as well.

He swiftly rigged up a tourniquet on Sean's arm with the worn leather strap and held her brother's arm down onto the seat.

Claire's eyes moved to her brother's face again and she caught his gaze, lipping, "It's okay…"

He nodded, although tears were streaming from his eyes and he looked like he was about to be sick.

She thought about holding his other hand or something, but she didn't have a chance. Before she could move forward, Daryl brought the hatchet swinging down and hacked off her brother's hand, just a little ways above his wrist.

She cringed as Sean's scream of pain filled the SUV and tears rolled down her face as well. All she could think was that it better save his damn life. She had just found him—she wasn't going to lose him now.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I am SO, SO sorry it took so long to post! I've had a crazy week! I will do my best to get another chapter or two up this week to make up for it. You guys are great and thank you for all the wonderful reviews. :)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Claire sat completely still, watching anxiously as Daryl tended to the stump where Sean's hand used to be. He cleaned it and wrapped it the best he could with the small first aid kit they carried in the SUV, and then told him, "Keep pressure on it."

With that he crawled back into the front seat and let Sean's sister take over.

She scooted next to him, examining him and seeing that his face was still ghostly pale and slicked with sweat. He had passed out after he'd screamed, but it hadn't been long before he came to. Now he was slumped against the door, staring down at the stump where his hand used to be with a dead expression on his face.

"You're gonna make it," she told him, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It was just a scratch. I'm sure we removed the hand in time."

"Yea, well…first day out of my bunker and I get scratched and lose my hand," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's fucked up. And you warned me before we left…you told me not to even get a scratch…"

"Sean, it's okay. It took me a long time to get used to this the way I am. And let's be honest, I'm really _not_ used to it."

"She's really not. Your sister is queasy as hell," Daryl taunted, attempting to lighten the mood.

It worked a little, causing Sean to chuckle and smirk at Claire. "She's always been like that. Squeamish as all get out."

"Okay, that's enough making fun of me," she laughed, shooting Daryl a playful glare. "Just because you're a damn beast…"

"Seriously though, man, ya oughta be fine. One of our men got bit and we had to amputate his leg and he survived," Daryl informed Sean. "We got a doc back at the prison that can look at it for ya."

Sean just nodded and looked out the window, his eyes distant. Claire didn't blame him for being glum about the whole situation. She knew she would be, too. Besides, he was probably in a lot of pain. The aspirin he'd taken would only be enough to take the edge off.

Claire had mixed emotions about going back to the prison. She was happy to be there, but she didn't want to have to turn around and leave again. Being there would only get her more attached to the group—Daryl and Rick specifically—and that was just going to break her heart.

She didn't dwell on it though. Instead she decided to be thankful for Herschel helping her brother and for a chance to talk with Rick again. She joined him on watch, trusting the others to be good to Sean.

"Sean's gonna be pissed about his car tomorrow," she joked as she leaned against the fence.

"It was a nice ride," Rick chuckled. "I think he might be a little more pissed about his hand though."

"I dunno. That car was his baby. Treated it better than he treats me." She laughed and shook her head, remembering the normal days when she would visit and he would take forever cleaning and buffing that car. He even talked to it.

"I hope he'll be all right. For your sake and his. You just found him, I can't imagine…"

"Losing him? Yea. Me either. Not after months and months of traveling to get to him."

"You are incredibly strong, do you know that?" Rick smiled at her, leaning back next to her.

"Thanks. I just…kind of have to be, ya know?" There wasn't much of a choice. It was be strong or die.

"Oh, I definitely know…and I'll admit I kinda fell off the wagon when I lost my wife."

Claire's gaze darted to him as she took in his words. He never really talked about his wife and she could tell he was still not quite back on the wagon yet. It was there in his eyes, which were still so dark and lost.

"No one can blame you for that," she assured him. "You gave your life to someone and now they're gone. It's hard to start thinking as a single unit when you're used to working as a team."

To her surprise he laughed at her words, a broad grin stretching across his face. "You would have been a great psychiatrist, Claire."

She frowned. That was a compliment, yes, but she didn't miss the undertone of an insult. He was picking on her.

"I just care about people. I want to help them."

"Well…this is something I gotta get right with on my own. No one else can fix it for me." He pushed off the fence and turned to shoot her a grateful smile. "I do appreciate it though—you trying to help me. You're a good person."

"Thanks," she said softly, her mind caught off guard by the way the sunlight was hitting Rick's eyes. He squinted slightly, but it didn't cover the luminescent blue that gleamed at her. "Don't think I'm weird for saying this, but you have incredibly beautiful eyes."

Rick's lips quirked up a little further at the spontaneous compliment and he settled back into his spot at her side, saying lightly, "I like having you around."

"The feeling is mutual."

When Claire headed back inside, she went straight for her brother. She wanted to make sure he was doing okay and that things hadn't taken a turn for the worse.

Luckily, she found him playing cards with Beth, Carl, Daryl, and Herschel, so she had nothing to worry about. She stood in the entrance of C Block with Rick at her side and smiled lightly at the image before her. They were all laughing, except for Carl, but he didn't really even smile much. Claire wasn't too shocked about that though.

"It's strange seeing people do something that normal," she mused, trying to commit the image to her memory. There were so few moments like this anymore—she tried to cherish them all.

"I wish Carl could do it more…he never gets to be a kid," Rick sighed.

"Yea, it's a tough way to—"

"Rick!" Glenn's voice hollered down the hall behind them and they whipped around simultaneously. He was coming towards them, but he wasn't alone. There was a man in front of him, Glenn pressing a gun to his back, and Claire recognized him instantly.

"It's Daryl's brother," she muttered, confusion coating her voice.

"What is he doin' here?" Rick questioned sternly.

As the two men reached them, Merle smirked at them and answered, "I have a message from my camp."

"This should be good," Claire sighed.

"They said they'll give ya two days to find a new place an' get outta here or they're gonna come take this place by force. They got weapons, plenty of 'em, and no shortage of people willin' to use 'em. So, I'd advise you to move along."

"What the fuck, Merle?" Daryl crossed the cell block and stepped up to his brother. "Your just gonna let 'em come in here? Kill an innocent baby? Kill your brother?!"

"Told ya there ain't nothin' I can do stop 'em. Most I can do is give ya a heads up. They didn' even wanna give ya that."

"We can't let this happen," Claire protested. "We've gotta go talk to them."

"Just like a woman—wantin' to talk it out," Merle taunted. "Sorry, princess, but that ain't how it works."

She bit her lip and balled her fists as she resisted the urge to pummel him. "I'd watch your mouth. You're the one with our man's gun to your back."

Claire noticed Glenn jab the gun harder into the redneck's back for emphasis and nearly chuckled.

"I think we need to take Merle here back home and have a little chat with his leader," Rick decided. "Glenn, you're comin' with me since you're already on guard detail."

"I can go, too," Claire offered.

"You need to stay here with your brother. If somethin' happened and you were gone…I know you wouldn't forgive yourself for leavin' him."

He was right and she couldn't deny that, but she still had to bite her tongue to keep from arguing. She knew it wasn't her place to get into their affairs, but she couldn't help it. They'd helped her once again—saved her and Sean's lives—and that was something she could never fully pay back.

"Just be careful. And I'm not leaving this prison until you get back here safe," she told him.

"I'll take Maggie, too. We'll be all right." He smiled at her and touched her arm for a moment before his hand fell back to his side.

"You better be," Daryl butted in. "And Merle…man, I don' even know what to say to ya. Just don' get yourself killed."

"Nice to see ya, too, lil' brother," he replied sarcastically.

"Yea, yea. Let's go," Rick demanded. "Maggie, you're goin' on a run with us."

Maggie jumped up, grabbing her gun and following the men out without a question. Claire watched them go, feeling a pang of frustration at staying behind, but she knew she couldn't argue with Rick. Sean seemed healthy enough—although still a bit pale and tired looking—but that could change. The virus took time to fully take over.

She went to sit next to her brother, smiling at him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you stayed in that bunker."

"Me, too. I knew you'd come find me," he said softly, smiling down at her. "I can see why you wanted to stay here. This is nice."

"These are good people. I just…I don't want to think about what is going to happen with that other camp." Claire lifted her head, shaking it as she did so.

"Ain't nothin' gonna happen to any of us," Daryl assured her, sitting between her and Carl. "That includes you."

She smiled at him, but she didn't speak. All she would have to say were negative things that didn't need to be said right then. She could only think that there was no way they were getting out of this alive if they didn't leave.

* * *

Rick drove the SUV with Maggie in the passenger seat. Merle had been stripped of his weapons, including the knife strapped to his stump, and Glenn sat in the back with him, his gun aimed at his head.

"So, have you thought about what we're going to say to these people?" Maggie asked the driver.

"Sort of," Rick sighed. "Haven't concluded much. They don't sound like reasonable people, but reason is all I've got."

"Maybe they'll sympathize once they know there are children."

Merle scoffed from behind them and Rick's knuckles went white as his grip on the wheel tightened.

"It's all we can hope for. We're outnumbered and surely outgunned," he admitted, unable to deny what he had seen for himself. It was a fairly large camp with at least twice the people.

"Sounds like your shit outta luck," Merle observed.

"Shut it, Merle. We're not scared to let Glenn take your other hand," Maggie snapped.

Rick didn't figure that was a genuine threat, but he would keep that to himself. As much of an ass as Merle was, Maggie wasn't generally a violent person and he knew she didn't want to hurt anyone if she didn't have to.

They were getting close to the camp and he was starting to get nervous. He knew Merle was probably right, but he still had to try. His children were in that prison and how the hell could they take a baby on the road? There was no telling Judith not to scream and cry. She would be attracting walkers everywhere they went.

He sighed as he parked at the side of the road, wondering what they would do if it came down to that. He'd spotted a few potential spots to lie low, like the warehouses in Griffin, but he wasn't sure how stable those would be.

As he thought about it, they all climbed out of the vehicle and started the trek through the woods. Rick hoped that Merle was a valued enough member that his life would be worth something to the camp. Otherwise, they might end up being shot on sight. He didn't fully know what these people were capable of, but he didn't like testing them.

"We need to be strategic about this," he told Maggie and Glenn. "I'm gonna go out first, unarmed, and you two can cover me. I think if we walk out with a gun to Merle they'll be a hell of a lot more hostile."

"Your right, but you're not goin' out first," Maggie insisted. "You've got kids to get back to. I'll go. Besides, they might be less threatened by a woman."

Rick nodded, knowing her logic made sense even if he still wanted to argue with it.. "All right. But any sign of a weapon and you bail, _quick_. We'll gun down whoever tries to shoot first."

"You got it."

When they reached the edge of the trees, the camp coming into view, Maggie stepped ahead of the group and waited for Rick and Glenn to get into position. Glenn had to keep his gun on Merle for now, but Rick knew he wouldn't hesitate to change his aim if need be.

Once everyone was set, Maggie slowly walked out into the field with her hands raised by her head. There were quite a few people outside their tents and at first no one noticed her, but then one by one they started to look up in her direction.

Rick studied the crowd, waiting for any sign of a threat and preparing to shoot at a moment's notice. His pulse raced as he watched, silently praying for Maggie to make it in safe. So far people just seemed curious and maybe a bit leery, but not hostile.

"I need to talk to your leader!" she called. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just wanna talk!"

The large man that had killed the couple came walking up to Maggie, studying her as he did so, and as he reached her he spoke. The words were too quiet for Rick to hear, but he figured since his friend lowered her arms that it must be going okay.

After a moment, Maggie turned and hollered, "C'mon out you guys! And bring Merle!"

Rick and Glenn glanced at each other and nodded, standing up straight. They walked out onto field slowly, Merle in front of them. Glenn had lowered his gun and Rick knew it was because he didn't want to provoke any violence before they had a chance to talk to the leader.

As they approached Maggie and the other man, Merle said, "I delivered the message, Mark, but these folks don' listen too damn well."

"So that's your name then? Mark? Well, Mark, we'd like to speak to your leader," Rick requested, stopping at Maggie's side.

"Well, I can't promise he will want to see you, but I will let him know you're here," Mark retorted.

The man sauntered away towards a large tent about a yard away from them and Rick glared after him. He didn't like the man's attitude and he didn't like what this camp was up to, but he was going to remain calm for the sake of his people. He couldn't blow this.

A moment later Mark emerged from the tent with another man behind him. He was an average height with lean, wiry muscle. His eyes were hooded and dark and his mahogany hair was tousled and in need of a trim. He looked like your average man and Rick wondered what it was about him that made these people so blindly follow him.

"Hello," he greeted, his southern accent thick and his voice lower than Rick would have expected. "My name is Xavier. And what is yours?"

Rick glanced down at the hand being held out to him and chose to ignore it as he replied, "Rick. I'd like to talk you about the prison."

Xavier dropped his hand and nodded slowly in understanding. "I see…well, as you can see I have many people who are dependent on me and my men and this valley is simply not adequate for a camp of this magnitude. We need something stronger—larger."

"And I have children in that prison. A newborn baby girl being one of them. So, as you can see, I'm not in a position to give up my _home_ to anyone."

"And I am in no position to let my people suffer. We have children, too, you know," Xavier countered, crossing his arms.

"Well then, it sounds like we need to make some kind of agreement, because I don't want to risk the life of any child."

"I'll make you the same agreement I've already put on the table. Evacuate the prison and no one gets hurt. Find a new place to settle down." His face was stern and emotionless and it made Rick want to scream at him—to make him flinch in fear or do _something_.

"I can't do that," Rick muttered, trying to keep from yelling.

"That's your choice, but I know you are greatly outnumbered and I will not hesitate to take the prison by force," Xavier said bluntly. "I will do my best to make sure your children go unscathed, but that is all I can offer."

"Rick, man…let's just go," Maggie said quietly behind Rick, so only he could hear. "We can work out a plan back at the prison."

Rick processed Maggie's words for a moment and knew she was right. There was nothing to be done here that they had not already tried.

"Well, Xavier, I see you're leaving us no choice but to move on or fight," he sighed, frowning at the other leader. "I guess my only choice now is to go back and talk to my people…let them choose."

"For you sake, I hope they make the smart choice," Xavier replied simply.

Rick bit his tongue, resisting the urge to attack this man who so easily threatened his family. He didn't bother to say goodbye—he simply turned and walked away, Maggie and Glenn following him.

Once they were out of earshot, Glenn growled, "We're goin' to take that bastard down, aren't we?"

"Yea," Rick affirmed. "By tomorrow night he's going to be dead."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Hey guys! So, this is a shorter chapter, but I felt like it needed to be. You finally get a glimpse into how Claire feels about Rick in this chapter and I am planning to build on that from here. It will still be a while before any real romance takes place though.

Also, happy birthday to julesjumper! Hopefully a little Rick/Claire fluff will be a good present. :P

Thanks so very much for the reviews guys! They seriously mean so much to me and they always make me smile.

CHAPTER NINE

Sean was sleeping now and the rest of the prison group had wandered off to manage their daily chores, so Claire didn't have much to do other than sit and worry. She had offered to pitch in, but there wasn't enough work left to do for her assistance to be needed.

She just wanted Rick and the others to get back. She wanted to know what had happened and if everything was going to be okay or not. She didn't have much hope, but she figured a miracle could happen and the other camp might have decided to back off.

She fiddled with the playing cards, trying to occupy her mind as she tapped her foot on the concrete. That was one problem with the apocalypse—too much damn time to think. She never liked thinking; it always led to things that made her sad or worried.

The thought kept creeping into her mind that they weren't going to make it back—that confronting this man was going to mean being executed just like that couple.

But then she heard footsteps heading toward the cell block and a familiar voice that made her stomach do a pleasant little flip. She got to her feet and stared at the entrance as Rick, Glenn, and Maggie filed into the room.

"How did it go?" Claire asked, heading for Rick. "Are they going to back off?"

When he frowned, his eyes falling to the ground, she knew what he was going to say before he said it. "Nah…he's set on this place. We've got two choices...either go back and put a bullet in him and his men before they come or leave."

"I'll help you take them out," Claire volunteered. "You got a look at the layout right? We could sneak in, snipe the guards, and go for his tent."

"I was thinking that, too, but it's going to be tricky…we don't know how many guards are out at night or where they're going to be posted," he reminded her, heading for the table and sitting down. "We're goin' to have to be quick and smart about this."

"We need Daryl to get in on this," Glenn suggested. "His hunting skills could help a lot."

"We need you, too, Glenn," Rick told him. "Claire…I hate to ask it, but I am going to need you and Sean to hold down the fort, because I need my strongest people on this."

Claire resisted her urge to protest, because she knew what he was saying. He was telling her she was one of his strongest, but someone had to be here to look after the others. It was that acceptance of her and her brother that kept her mouth shut.

"Okay. We can do that," she agreed, sitting across from him. "You know I'm here for you guys."

She reached across the table and rested her hand on his, causing him to glance up at her with a small smile on her lips. She could see tension in his body and the stress in his eyes. This was weighing on him—as it should—and she would do whatever she could to ease that weight for him even just a little.

"Thank you, Claire," he said softly. "We're lucky you found us."

In that moment Claire knew that if she did this she would not have to leave. If she proved herself this last time, Rick would welcome her into the group. It was there in the warm smile he gave her and the way he didn't pull away from her touch.

"I'm the lucky one," she replied, pulling back her hand.

* * *

"It's my shift, go get some sleep," Claire told Rick as she walked out onto the guard tower balcony. He looked exhausted and she didn't think he'd gotten much for sleep in a long time. There were bags under his eyes and his body slouched as if it was too much to even stand.

"I can stay out here a while if you don't wanna be alone," he offered.

"You look like you're about to fall on your face, Rick. Go to bed."

He nodded slowly and pushed away from the wall. He handed her his rifle and turned to leave, but he stopped in front of the door and said, "It won't do me any good."

"What?" Claire eyed him uncertainly, not sure if she had heard his words right.

"Going to bed; it won't do me any good. I won't sleep."

"I think you'll find you're wrong on that one. I'm pretty sure you'll pass out whether you want to or not the way you're looking."

Rick shook his head and turned around, his eyes sad and dark. "You're right, I will pass out, but then I'll wake up…nightmares…"

Claire frowned at that and stepped a little closer to him, meeting his gaze. "Well…I mean, don't think I'm hitting on you or somethin', but maybe it's just that you aren't used to sleeping alone. You could lie down out here and…"

She trailed off and realized she would sound ridiculous if she went on with her suggestion. She sighed and sat down, holding the rifle and staring out at the field as she leaned against the wall.

"And what?" Rick wondered, looking down at her curiously.

Claire nibbled at her lip and extended the arm closest to him, gesturing for him to come to her.

"And lay with me," she muttered, somewhat embarrassed by her suggestion. It was a platonic suggestion, but that didn't mean her attraction to him didn't have a part in it. "I just thought maybe having someone next to you might help you sleep."

He seemed hesitant as he watched her, silently debating, and Claire added, "Like I said, not hitting on you. Just helping you out."

"Right…well, it's worth a shot I guess," he decided, moving to sit next to her. Once he did, he leaned into her and rested his head and back against her. Luckily she was fairly tall, otherwise it would be a horribly awkward fit. But he fit rather nicely next to her and her arm easily settled around his shoulder and trailed down his chest.

"Now, get some rest," she said quietly.

"What if you've gotta use that rifle?" he mumbled, already growing sleepy as he closed his eyes.

"Then I'll wake you up. But let's hope for your sake and everyone else's that I don't have to."

"Okay…you comfortable?"

"I'm fine. Now shush." She smiled down at him, even though she knew he couldn't see it, and chuckled softly. She knew that he was torn between the comfort of human contact that was lulling him to sleep and the part of him that felt strange in the arms of anyone but his wife. No matter how platonic their position may be, it was even a bit odd for her being this close to someone after so long.

Despite his uncertainty, it was only a couple of minutes before he drifted off to sleep. Claire stared out at the field and listened to the quiet sound of his steady breaths. She was easily growing used to the warmth of him against her and she was actually quite thankful for it. It was a bit a chilly night and his body heat was a life saver.

Time passed slowly, the moon moving across the sky, and Rick didn't move from his position for a long time. Claire imagined it had been at least three hours before he suddenly jolted against her, a low, distressed groan emitting from deep in his chest.

He started to toss his head back and forth against her and he muttered simply, "Lori…_Lori_…"

Claire sat him up slightly and reached her free hand over to brush through his hair softly. "Rick…Rick, shhhh….it's just a dream."

She couldn't see his face well enough to tell if she was making a difference, and so she gently moved his head to her lap. He was still writhing slightly and his wife's name was becoming a mantra now, but some of the tension was leaving him.

She just stroked his hair and whispered to him, watching as the writhing stopped and as his mouth slowed. After about thirty seconds he grew still and silent once again, his body relaxing fully.

Claire continued to watch him, her hand still passing through his wavy hair slowly, and she sighed. Poor Rick. This man couldn't catch a break. The world continued to crumble around him while he tried to piece it all back together for the people he loved. And now his troubles haunted him even during the one escape most human's relied on. He couldn't even sleep…

But he was sleeping now, quite peacefully actually. His chest rose and fell steadily and his lips were parted slightly, the moon casting a faint glow across his face.

Rick was even more handsome when he was at peace. It was a sight Claire had never seen until now. The walls he constantly put up and the tension he always felt was gone now and there was almost a vulnerability about him.

Claire smiled and finally looked away from him, resting her head back against the wall. Whatever it was about Rick that had pulled her towards him since they had met, it was stronger now. She wanted to know him and she wanted to help him. The only problem was she wasn't sure if he would let her.

* * *

It was still very early in the morning when Daryl came to relieve Claire, but he simply eyed her curiously and didn't speak when he saw that Rick was passed out with his head on her lap.

"He was having trouble sleeping," she whispered. "I thought this might help…having someone with him."

"Right, well…you go 'head and pass out, I'll keep watch," Daryl insisted.

"You're judging me," she said with a light smile. "I can tell."

"I ain't judgin'. You're helpin' a friend—nothin' wrong with that."

"Mhmm. You're judging."

He chuckled and smirked at her. "Maybe a little. It's jus'…I see how ya look at him."

"And how's that?" She honestly didn't know. It was no secret to her that she was attracted to Rick, but she didn't think it had shown.

"I dunno, jus'…like you're into him." He shrugged, like it was self-explanatory. "You are, ain't ya?"

Claire blushed and looked away from Daryl. She really didn't know it was that obvious. "Kinda, yea…but it's not like it means anything. I'm half his age and…"

And he had just lost his wife. He still dreamed about her every night to the point that he couldn't sleep.

"Yea…well, I ain't sayin' anythin' one way or another, but…the old rules don't apply anymore. Not in this world."

Claire smiled at him, but she didn't say anything. She liked Rick, yes, but she also barely knew him.

Either way all she wanted in that moment was to sleep. That's how she lived now, after all. She lived moment to moment and day to day. The only thing that seemed to really matter anymore was surviving.

Rick was woken by the morning sun as it crept over his face and into his eyes. He scrunched up his face and put his hands over his eyes as they opened slowly. It took him a moment to remember that he had gone to sleep out on the watch tower and another moment to realize that he must have slept the whole night.

"Mornin', sunshine," Claire greeted, smirking down at him as he looked up at her. His head was in her lap and his body was slightly kinked in spots from the position he was in, but he felt more rested than he had in months.

He sat up slowly, stretching and yawning groggily as he replied, "Good mornin'. I guess you were right—haven't slept like that in a very long time."

"Daryl seemed a little confused when he came out for his post earlier this morning," Claire chuckled. "I explained it to him though."

"Well, thank you," he said gratefully, turning to smile at her. "If I would've known it was that simple, I would've been cuddlin' with Herschel."

Claire laughed at that and got to her feet slowly, groaning a bit at the way her body cracked as she moved. "What would you say to a walk around the perimeter? I need to move."

"We gotta get inside and get the plans for tonight figured out," he reminded her. "But after that we can take a walk if you want."

He really wouldn't mind some quality time with her where he wasn't passed out. It seemed like she had a pretty good idea what was going on inside his head and he had to admit a little therapy couldn't hurt.

They headed inside and gathered the group, Rick wanting everyone to know what was happening. He left Maggie and Glenn out on two of the watch posts, since they were already well informed.

"These people are not good people," Rick told is family grimly. "They are planning on taking this prison no matter what it takes. We told them we have children, but they don't care. They want us out. So, the only choice we have is to strike first."

"What does that mean?" Beth asked, fear in her voice. "You're going into their camp?"

"Yes. Four of us. Me, Glenn, Daryl, and Maggie," Rick told them. "If we're quick and quiet, we should be able to take out the guards and get to their leader without too much trouble. We know where his tent is."

"But what if they've already thought about this?" Herschel pointed out. "What if they've figured out you probably plan on striking tonight and they come early?"

Rick had thought about that and he'd been trying to decide what to do about it. He knew they wouldn't send the whole guard, not when they had people to look after, but he still didn't think his people would have a chance if that happened.

"If we can find a place for you guys to lay low until we get back, maybe we could evacuate the prison for until early morning."

"It's a short enough drive to one of the warehouses in Griffin," Daryl suggested. "I could ride out and check it out—see if it's safe."

"Why don't you go do that right now?" Rick suggested. "Then if it is, ya'll can drive out there when we leave tonight and hunker down. I'll send Daryl over once we get back and check the prison."

Daryl was already out of the cell block by the time Rick finished speaking and the group was nodding their approval.

"Sounds like the best plan we've got," Carol said, smiling at Rick in encouragement. "We'll get through this, just like we do everything else."

Rick nodded in agreement and smiled back. He hoped with everything he was that Carol was right. That was all there was left to drive him in this world—keeping this group safe. If he failed, he didn't know if he could keep going. And now there was Claire and Sean to add to his list of people he felt compelled to protect.

"Okay…everyone start getting things around for tonight. Pack up everything and take it to the warehouse," Rick insisted. "If they come, we don't want them taking out stuff as well as our home."

Everyone quickly got to their feet and went to start on packing up what they had. There was a tension in the air—a fear—and it was almost tangible, but there was a silver lining of hope as well. If they made it through this night unscathed, everything could settle back into the pattern they had grown accustomed to. At least for a while.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update! Thanks for the reviews, you guys are great. Enjoy the next chapter!

CHAPTER TEN

Claire was reluctant about the plan to invade the camp, but she knew it had to be done. She just couldn't help worrying. They would be so greatly outnumbered and it wasn't safe.

As she and the others prepared to leave the prison, she pulled Rick aside and said, "Please be safe. You're seriously one the greatest people I've met since the end of the world and I want you to come back."

Rick smiled softly at her, his eyes lighting up just slightly at her words. He pulled her into a quick, but tight hug and released her as he replied.

"You're a good girl, Claire. I'm glad you're part of the group. I'll do my best to make it back in one piece."

Claire nodded and felt her heart drop a little at that first bit. He said it like she was an adopted daughter or something. She knew it shouldn't bother her—honestly it should be flattering—but it still made her sad.

"Good, 'cause I'd miss you if you didn't make it back," she told him, meeting his gaze. Saying goodbye to anyone in this new world was always harder than it should be. Even if it was just for a night, knowing there was a strong chance they may never come back made it tough.

"If I don't…you stick with these guys, okay? Keep each other safe."

"Of course." She smiled half-heartedly and somehow plucked up the courage to lean in and kiss his cheek. "I'll see you later."

"See you," he said softly, before turning to join the others who were going out to the camp.

Claire watched them go, crossing her arms and sighing heavily. _If I don't…you stick with these guys. _Those words would be in her head all night. The way she felt about Rick was new and still blossoming and she knew she didn't have a shot, but she would always wonder if he didn't return. She would always wonder what might have happened if she'd had the time to know him.

She shook herself out of her haze and went to join the others as they grabbed their things and got ready to leave. They weren't wasting any time evacuating and they would be heading out right behind Rick's group. She had to keep her head straight and she had to help look out for these people that had so willingly taken her in.

"You alright, sis?" Sean asked, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Fine." She knew that he wouldn't buy it. He knew that she was scared and sad. "Let's just get out of here before anyone shows up."

* * *

Rick would be a liar if he said he wasn't scared about the raid they were about to do. He knew there was a strong chance they wouldn't all make it back. His only real hope was that one of them would so that they could tell the group what took place. He knew the others would want him to survive—that they would tell him he had kids to raise—but he didn't agree with that. If any of them had to go, he wanted it to be him. Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl were all too good and strong and he loved them too much to let them die.

This had to be done though. No matter how dangerous it was, they had to fight for a chance to survive. They had to fight for the others. The group was even bigger now—more lives to look after—and Rick wasn't going to let anything happen to any of them.

That's what he told himself as he and the other three split up, creeping through the darkness of the forest and closing in around the camp. The only light was from the moon, but it was enough to scope out the guards that were pacing around the camp. There were four of them—a perfect number—and they were at individual posts.

Rick watched as Maggie and Glenn darted to the sides of the field while Daryl circled around to the trees across from him. They eventually disappeared into the darkness and as he waited the designated amount of time they had decided on, he examined the leader's tent. It was the only one still lit up and that bothered Rick. It meant he was awake. It would be harder to take him out that way. If they weren't careful, he could call for help before they had the chance to silence him and they could be swiftly outnumbered.

Once the amount of time he had to wait was up, Rick quickly and quietly moved forward and aimed for his target. He thanked God for silencers as he took a deep breath, steadied his gun, and took down his guard. As soon as he was down, Rick darted forward and checked the other three posts to see that his friends had succeeded as well.

The first phase had gone completely according to plan, but he was still leery about the second part. If they were caught—

_BANG!_

The sudden, alarming sound of gunfire sounded through the air, completely unmistakable to Rick's ears. What came with it was much worse—it was a painfully familiar, strangled cry from across the field.

"Daryl…," he muttered in panic, not hesitating to rush out from his hiding place. He tore across the grass, weaving through tents, his heart racing wildly.

_Not Daryl. Not Daryl._ The mantra ran through his mind over and over and he felt like he couldn't run fast enough. As he finally made it to his destination, leaping over the lifeless body of the guard his friend had killed, his heart dropped. There was a second body lying still, just outside the edge of the trees, and Xavier was standing over it with a pistol in his hand. No one seemed to be bothering with leaving their tents and Rick wondered if that was on Xavier's orders.

"Get away from him!" Rick demanded, aiming his gun directly at the leader's head. "_Now_."

Xavier glanced over at him and Rick was shocked to see a smirk on his face. What kind of sick son of a bitch was he?

"I went out to check the perimeters…came back to find your friend here taking out my guard," he stated. "Got any other friends lurking around here?"

"Daryl?" Rick completely ignored Xavier and moved forward, his weapon still aimed and ready to shoot as he did so. "Daryl, man, are you alive?"

"Barely." The reply was hoarse and weak, but it was still a reply. "Fucker caught my shoulder."

Rick wanted to shoot Xavier right there, but he still had his gun out. He could still kill Daryl and that was something Rick was not willing to risk.

"Xavier…we're just tryin' to defend our home," Rick said trying to get the guy to talk. If he could distract him just long enough for Maggie or Glenn to take him out, everything would be okay. "Surely you understand that. We don't want to kill anyone."

"But you did. You killed my men. You shot first."

"Because you threatened my home and my family," Rick snarled.

"Do we really have to discuss this again? I need that prison and in this world you have to fight to survive. Surely _you_ understand _that_."

Rick's hand tightened on his gun. Where the hell were the other two? Surely they'd heard the shot and were coming to investigate. It didn't take that damn long to cross the field…

"Daryl, you still good?" Rick checked, fearing that he wouldn't get a response this time.

"Wouldn't say good…"

"Don't you die on me. We're gettin' out here." His tone was fierce—determined. To hell if he was going to let Daryl die.

"Well it seems like you're not really in the position to be making those promises," Xavier taunted.

"And you are? You may have a gun on Daryl, but I've got three on you."

That was all it took. The leader made a fatal mistake, turning his head to look for the other two guns, and Rick took his shot. He put a bullet into his brain without hesitation, the man falling to the ground before he could ever take another shot at Daryl.

Rick didn't take any time to celebrate his success. He just rushed forward, falling to his knees next to Daryl. "Fuck…just hold on man, we'll get you to the car and we'll patch you up…you'll be alright."

Daryl smirked at him, his eyes hazy. "If I survive this, I'm officially more of a badass than you."

Rick laughed at that and shook his head. "The hell are you talkin' about? You already are. Bullet wound counts don't matter."

"Yea…guess I am." The hunter chuckled weakly at that.

Rick glanced around, searching for Glenn and Maggie. When he didn't find them fear began to creep up inside of him. Were there others from the camp that had been out? Were they caught?

"Rick!" It was Maggie. Her voice came from behind him and he quickly stood, spinning around to face her as she ran towards him.

"Where's Glenn?"

"I don't know," she replied, her voice thick with fear. "Is Daryl okay?"

"No. Xavier shot him and he's hurt pretty bad. We gotta get him outta here."

"Shit…" She glanced passed Rick to see Xavier and Daryl in the grass. "Let's get him to the car. Maybe Glenn will meet us there."

Rick hated to leave the camp without Glenn, but he could come back and look for him as soon as he had Daryl taken care of. He and Maggie hurried over to the injured man and helped him up.

It was a much longer trek back to the SUV than Rick would have liked. Even though Daryl had wrapped his wound with Rick's over-shirt, he was still losing a lot of blood. He was getting incredibly pale and he moved slowly, his breath labored.

As soon as he was in the vehicle, Rick dug into the medical supplies.

"Maggie, clean the wound the best you can and try to stop the blood flow. I need you to tend to him while I go look for Glenn," Rick demanded.

"By yourself?" she protested.

"We don't have much of a choice. If they have him or if he's hurt, he needs me and Daryl needs you." With that he closed the vehicle door and hurried off into the trees. There was no time for arguing.

* * *

Rick didn't like being out in the dark on his own any more than Maggie did, but it had to happen. Daryl needed Maggie and Rick put the hunter's life before his. He'd risk going out alone if it meant his friend had a better chance at surviving.

He stuck to the general path they took to get near the camp, hoping Glenn would have found his way to it. He was smart, Rick knew that, and he was depending on it.

It didn't take nearly as long as he would have thought for him to realize that was the right choice. About halfway down the path, he finally found his friend as he came running towards him.

"Glenn!" Rick exclaimed as the familiar man finally came into view. He was incredily winded when he came to a stop in front of Rick, bending over and placing his hands on his knees as he panted.

"Shit, Rick, I'm sorry," he apologized. "One of the camp members came out of their tent and found me. They had a gun. I had to bail. I circled back around, but you guys were already gone."

"Well we gotta get back to the car," Rick insisted. "Daryl got shot, Maggie is trying to patch him up right now."

"Fuck." Glenn frowned and followed Rick as he hurried back in the opposite direction. "You think he'll be okay?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "He lost a lot of blood and there is always the chance for infection. I haven't looked at the wound, so I don't know for sure."

They made it back to the SUV in record time, Rick hurrying into the driver's seat. Once Glenn was in the seat next to him, he started driving and asked Maggie, "How is he?"

"I dunno," she sighed fretfully. "There's nothin' I can really do, except keep pressure on it. I don't know if it the bullet hit anything important and I don't want to make it worse. The bleeding slowed at least…"

"Is he out?"

"Yea…passed out not too long ago."

Rick nodded and sped up. He wasn't wasting any time. The sooner they got Daryl back to Hershel the better. He wasn't going to lose someone tonight—there was no damn way. They'd done what they needed to do with surprising success and he was not about to end that triumph with Daryl's death.

ON the way back, they took the route that went by the prison just to check things out. As they drove past, Rick slowed slightly and peered out his window, frowning as he spotted the vehicles parked outside.

"Shit…he did send people," Rick observed, his heart sinking. He sped up again, his hands tightening on the wheel until his knuckles were white. "_Dammit_…we got him, but they still got the prison."

"They've gotta go back for the others," Glenn reminded him. "Maybe when their defenses are weakened we can take it back. Ambush 'em when they try to come back."

Rick shook his head. "No…no, I'm not riskin' anyone else. We've got a kid, a baby, two amputees, and our best shot tryin' to bleed out in my back seat. We don't have the man power, Glenn."

"So you're just gonna give the place up? Just like that? Daryl just got shot for nothing?"

"Not for nothin'. You don't know how many lives we might have saved taking out a guy like him. Besides, what else _can _we do? I'm sorry, but they're camp is three times the size of ours."

"But we killed their leader and four of their guards and they didn't even come out of their tents," Glenn pushed. "They don't seem like fighters to me. We could try to reason with them or—"

"We'll talk about it later. We're back. We gotta get Daryl to Hershel." Rick pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse, driving right up to the door. There was no time to waste and he silently prayed it wasn't already too late.


End file.
